City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Thursday that a South Los Angeles father is facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly keeping an unsecured assault weapon in his home that was discovered after the man’s teenage son was accused of bringing a gun to his school.
“It’s incumbent on all of us to take every step we can to protect our kids and to prevent gun violence. We’re here today to talk about another effort by our office to do just that,” Feuer said at a news conference at City Hall East. “We need to be focused on keeping guns away from kids and criminals.”
Jaime Sanchez, 54, is charged with possession of an assault weapon and unlawful storage of a firearm, which carry a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Feuer said Sanchez’s weapon was discovered in November after his 15- year-old son was found by school officials at Washington High School to be in possession of an unloaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun. A subsequent search by law enforcement of the boy’s home, where four minors lived, uncovered an unsecured Tec-9 assault weapon, which was found in a closet, Feuer alleged.
He alleged that inside an unlocked gun case in the closet, officers found the unloaded and unregistered weapon, a separate 30-round large capacity magazine, a partially secured unloaded .380 semi-automatic handgun, five pounds of loose ammunition, and more than 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition recovered from a separate closet.
“Guns don’t come with an undo button,” said Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, who represents parts of South L.A. “The consequences of a pulled trigger last a lifetime and as lawmakers we must protect innocent lives.”
–City News Service