Gun Control Foe Switches His Vote on Waiting Period

Sen. Newton R. Russell, citing a rising tide of violence, reversed himself last week and voted in favor of a bill that would require purchasers of sporting rifles and shotguns to wait 15 days before taking possession of their firearms.

The Glendale Republican called himself a longtime foe of gun control but said he was prompted to rethink his position on at least this one measure because “of what seemed to be an increasingly violent society” in which “people in a fit of rage buy a gun and use it on someone.”

As a result, Russell said Monday in an interview, he supported the bill by Assemblyman Lloyd G. Connelly (D-Sacramento) as a compromise even though last September he had opposed an earlier version of the proposal. The state already has a similar “cooling-off period” for handguns.

Russell was among just four of the Senate’s 13 Republicans to support Connelly’s bill. It was approved last Thursday by the 40-member upper house on a 23-10 vote, two more than the simple majority required. The bill now goes back to the Assembly for concurrence in amendments.

Elected to the Senate in 1974, Russell has a reputation as a low-profile lawmaker who usually sides with conservatives. His district includes Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, San Marino, Temple City and part of Pasadena, as well as Glendale and La Canada Flintridge.

“I have always been a supporter of the aims and goals of the National Rifle Assn., and my voting record will attest to the fact that I am a strong opponent of gun control,” Russell said in a statement. “However, I believe this legislation will prevent a person from the sort of tragedy we read about with increasing frequency, that is, the purchase of any type of weapon in a fit of rage which is then immediately used to shoot someone.”

Although not a member of the NRA, which opposed the bill, Russell said he owns two guns: a .22-caliber rifle his father gave him and a .38-caliber handgun.

Russell described his decision as “tough” and said he made up his mind after some soul-searching, prayers for guidance, and conversations with friends who own guns and with Connelly.

“He’s (Connelly) made significant changes in the bill, and that caused me to rethink my position,” Russell said.

A provision was added to the latest proposal that requires the attorney general’s office to study the feasibility of establishing a computerized hot line. It would allow gun dealers to determine whether a prospective gun buyer has a criminal record. Russell said he supports the hot line concept but acknowledged that the “technology is not yet in place.”

Russell also said that unlike the earlier proposal, the revised bill protects privacy by requiring the attorney general’s office to destroy applications after 30 days, except if a person is deemed ineligible to purchase a rifle.

Votes by other area legislators were more in keeping with their earlier stands on gun control.

Opponents argued that waiting periods for gun purchases are not effective because background checks are often incomplete and inaccurate. But Russell said the NRA’s lobbying effort against the bill was “almost non-existent.”