Governor Moves to Appease NRA on Bill Aimed at Guns for Gangs

The Deukmejian Administration has moved quickly to patch a rare split with the National Rifle Assn. over a bill by Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) that would allow authorities to charge a youth with a felony for possessing a concealable weapon without parental consent.

On Monday, the Assembly Public Safety Committee approved the bill on a 4-1 vote and sent it to the Ways and Means Committee. Four Democrats voted for the bill, with one Republican voting against it, another abstaining and a third not present.

On Friday, the Administration and the NRA met to determine if they could work out a compromise on the bill, which has uncharacteristically divided the governor and the rifle association.

Wright said her bill, part of Deukmejian’s package of anti-crime legislation, is aimed at curbing the use of guns by youth gangs by making it a potential felony for a juvenile to possess a loaded or unloaded handgun except at a firing range or with parental permission. Such an offense is now a misdemeanor. Wright’s bill would give authorities the option of making it either a misdemeanor or a felony.

Hunters Could Be Charged

NRA lobbyist Dave Marshall argued that a juvenile without any criminal intent who forgets his permission slip when he goes hunting would be subject to a felony charge.

“It means that a student out on a range with his grandfather who happens to step off the property or is out hunting” could be charged with a felony, said Marshall.

After Friday’s meeting, Marshall said it appeared that the measure could be amended to his group’s satisfaction. “We convinced them our concerns were legitimate,” said Marshall, who would not spell out his compromise proposal.

Steve Blankenship, deputy secretary for legislation of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency and the Administration’s lobbyist on the bill, confirmed that the two sides are trying to work out a compromise.

“I don’t want to have to fight the NRA on a bill like this. It makes it very difficult. They’ve been able to kill everything else,” Blankenship said in reference to broader gun-control bills the NRA has helped bottle up.

Firing Range an Exception

Before Friday’s meeting, Blankenship said that, as a practical matter, under Wright’s bill a juvenile who goes to a firing range without a note from his parents would not be prosecuted or would be charged with a misdemeanor.

The Wright bill also would make it a potential felony for an adult to sell or supply a minor with a handgun. It is now a misdemeanor.

Blankenship acknowledged that the bill would perpetuate a double standard for prosecuting minors and adults. For instance, under existing law, an adult arrested with a loaded pistol but without a permit can be charged with a misdemeanor. But, under Wright’s bill, a minor doing the same thing would face the possibility of being charged with a felony and being sentenced to prison for up to three years.

Wright said the intent of her bill is to crack down on the use of handguns by youth gangs. “What we’re trying to do is get gangs,” she said. “We’re not taking away anyone’s right to bear arms . . . and this is not a gun-control bill.”

Wright said she has been working on the legislation with the governor’s office since November, 1984. Wright said she first wanted the bill to target gang members but that the language of the legislation could not be tailored so narrowly.

Wright expressed frustration that the NRA had not offered an alternative until after Monday’s committee action but said she welcomed attempts to work out a compromise.