Los Angeles City Council to ban murder for 40 hours (I thought murder was already banned?)

I thought murder was already banned in the City of Los Angeles?:

L.A. council set to ban homicide for 40 hours

The symbolic gesture will coincide with the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Its backers hope to raise awareness of the recent spike in killings.

By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
9:35 AM PDT, April 1, 2008

Can murder be banned?

Los Angeles City Council members -- who in the past have tried with mixed results to ban gas-powered leaf blowers from backyards, lap dances from strip clubs and fast food restaurants from South Los Angeles -- plan to vote today on a 40-hour moratorium on homicide, a symbolic gesture that comes as the city has seen an uptick in killings in recent months.

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