In an effort to curb gun and gang violence in L.A., the city council approved a ban on .50-caliber ammunition for assault rifles, which police say can shoot down helicopters, as well as large mythical beasts.
"Unless you are out trying to kill Godzilla ... there's no need for
this type of weapon in an urban environment," police Chief William
Bratton said at a press conference on Dec. 17. At the briefing, Bratton held up a .50-caliber bullet, easily longer than a finger, to emphasize his point. He did not address whether Godzilla had been the target of any recent violence.
In a curious loophole of California law, it was legal to sell the .50-caliber rounds even though the guns that fire
them had been banned in 2005. The new ordinances close the loophole and add other controls, such as banning the installation of secret gun compartments in vehicles, and requiring bullets to be purchased in person rather than by Internet or mail order.
According to the AP, the military-style .50-caliber weapons are used by law-enforcement to stop a car by punching a round through its engine block. Or presumably to combat large fictitious monsters, by piercing their scaly torsos.
"This is not about the Second Amendment or the rights of law abiding
gun owners," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "This is about the safety
of our kids."
Villaraigosa did not attempt to reconcile how banning the anti-Godzilla ammunition actually made kids safer.
Free to roam
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