Ord 1996-013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• WHEREAS, the federal government has already prohibited the importation of foreign manufactured Saturday Night Specials; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that, in recent years, firearms manufacturers have made token modifications to those handguns commonly known as "Saturday Night Specials." These modifications include: carbon steel breechface inserts; solid steel barrel tubes; a greater number of steel linings incorporated in soft castings; and cast stainless steel for revolver frames, pistol receivers and semi- automatic slides. These modifications have resulted in no improvement, or only marginal improvement, in the durability of the handguns; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that, in recent years, firearms manufacturers have grafted improvised safety devises onto the core designs of those handguns commonly known as Saturday Night Specials. These devices include: simple (and fragile) half -cock hammer notches in derringers and single- action revolvers; manual pistol slide locks; rudimentary hammer or trigger locks that act by simple interference; and crude grip safety levers; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that such cosmetic remodeling by firearms manufacturers does not ameliorate the core design deficiencies of Saturday Night Special handguns. The City Council further finds that Saturday Night Special handguns continue to be dangerous products due to their low quality of manufacture and metallurgy; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that a firearm's frame, barrel, breechblock, cylinder and slide must be completely fabricated of heat treated carbon steel forged alloy or other material of equal or higher tensile strength in order to reliably contain the weapon's ballistic power. The City Council further finds that any firearm in which all of these components do not sleet this standard is an inherently unsafe product; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that firearms manufacturers have increased the ballistic power of many semi- automatic pistols by chambering them to fire high pressure ammunition. The City Council further finds that some manufacturers have not incorporated the safety mechanisms necessary to contain the peak pressures generated by such ballistic power and to prevent parts breakage from overstress; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the action mechanism contained in many currently produced derringers and single- action revolvers is based upon century-old designs. The City Council further finds that such firearms are frequently 7