In a stroke of irony as well as the stroke of a pen, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Greig Smith and Herb Wesson are calling on lawmakers in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to ban both the sale and possession of “assault weapons.”  The pair have authored a resolution urging the adoption of a sweeping gun ban that would gut the 2nd Amendment rights of Americans.

‘Communities and families across America are grieving over the horrible shootings that struck El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, this weekend, less than a week after a shooting in Gilroy,’ Councilman Greig Smith said.

‘The gun violence epidemic in our country is not normal and it’s not something we in Los Angeles will accept as we stand idly by,’ Council President Wesson said. ‘In just over a week, we’ve been shaken by three tragic mass shootings which have made it clear that nowhere is truly safe in a country that allows these weapons of war to be sold and carried on our streets. This resolution is our message to our state and federal legislators: We need meaningful reform on gun control now.’

California, of course, has had various versions of an “assault weapons” ban on its books since the 1990s. In fact, the state is constantly redefining what constitutes an “assault weapon” in an attempt to ban more and more firearms. That’s not good enough for the city council members though. Give them some credit for originality, I suppose. After all, their resolution calls for something I’ve never actually seen before.

In addition to the sale and possession of any assault weapon, the measure also calls for banning materials that make them semi-automatic.

The materials that make them semi-automatic? I have no idea what that even means, honestly. Are they talking about banning receivers? Steel? Carbon alloys? Triggers? Springs? Coils? What exactly are they referring to? I doubt they even know.

I haven’t been able to find the text of the actual resolution, so I’m not sure if this is just another example of awful reporting by the media or awful lawmaking by politicians, though I suppose it could be both. What’s worse is that I’m sure this will be described at some point as “common sense,” though it makes absolutely no sense at all.

Unlike the gun control bills that have been proposed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, or even California Governor Gavin Newsom’s demand for nationwide ammunition background checks, this resolution by Councilmembers Smith and Wesson doesn’t pose an outright risk to gun owners, even in Los Angeles. It’s a resolution, not an ordinance or a law. But it’s indicative of where far too many anti-gun politicians are at the moment- out in LaLa land, seemingly making up their demands as they go along.

So yes, have a chuckle at the expense of the clueless councilmen, but take the current threat to your right to keep and bear arms seriously. Most of what’s being suggested around the country are very real laws, not toothless resolutions.