Los Angeles lawmakers on Tuesday once again waded into the national fray over gun control as the City Council unanimously threw its support behind a proposed law to require handguns in the home to be locked up or disabled with a trigger lock. Angelenos who violate the rules would face a misdemeanor charge.

Activists backing the gun storage rules say they would help prevent deadly accidents and teen suicides, by preventing guns from easily falling into the hands of curious children or despairing teens.

After a heated debate over the exact wording of the rules, the City Council now plans to exempt any gun owner who is carrying the weapon or has it under their control and close enough to be readily retrieved – a change that initially worried some activists who had rallied behind the gun storage rules.

The newly revised wording, proposed by Councilman Paul Krekorian, was crafted to ease the concerns of the police department and the union that represents its officers. They argued that both current and retired officers needed swift access to their weapons to defend themselves from threats.

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