Ban On Extra-Lethal Ammo Expected To Pass in SF

Ammo ban part of post-Newtown gun control measures

Certain types of "extra-lethal" ammunition would be illegal to possess in San Francisco under a new law expected to be passed today, according to reports.

It is already illegal to buy in San Francisco "hollow point" ammunition, which has a pitted tip and is designed to flatten and be more lethal on impact. But Mayor Ed Lee and members of the Board of Supervisors want to ban possession of ammunition similar to the "Black Talon" round formerly made by Winchester, the San Francisco Examiner reported.

These rounds are hollow points that turn into jagged metal edges in the shape of a flower petal, and do considerable damage to internal organs, according to officials.

Crimes using this type of ammunition are very rarely seen in San Francisco, according to police, but Lee and others contend that such ammunition does not belong in the hands of civilians.

The ammo ban would complement a sales ban passed by then-mayor Gavin Newsom in 2007. San Franciscans can still drive to Pacifica or elsewhere to buy hollow point rounds, but possessing the extra-lethal rounds would be a misdemeanor punishable by jail time under the new law.

The new law is part of a national push for stricter gun control in the wake of the massacre of 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

The National Rifle Association has sued to overturn the 2007 ban on hollow point sales and could sue to overturn this ammo ban, the newspaper reported.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us