Study by O.C. Bar Urges Gun Control Measures

A federal ban on possession of concealed weapons, tougher prison sentences and a call for television and movies to promote an anti-violence agenda are among the recommendations included in a gun control study released Thursday by the Orange County Bar Assn.

The bar is considering taking a stand on gun control, and did the study to inform the county’s lawyers on possible courses of action.

“We can’t just shy away from this because it’s controversial,” said Bar President Michelle A. Reinglass.

She said she decided to appoint a 14-member task force to study gun control following the summer massacre at a San Francisco law firm, where a gunman killed eight people and wounded six others during a rampage.

Reinglass said she was also concerned about violence closer to home, as Orange County experiences a record number of homicides in 1993.

The Gun Control and Violence Task Force headed by Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Maurice Evans released its report Thursday, marking the start of a 60-day period during which the bar’s 6,000 members are asked to comment. The bar will consider taking a formal position on gun control in late February, Reinglass said.

The report is the first look at gun control and violence by the bar association, and marks one of the few occasions that the bar has stepped beyond the legal realm into an area that affects all county residents. Some, however, question whether the bar has a right to do so.

Irvine attorney and gun owner David A. Robinson, who is also on the bar’s board of directors, said the report means well but that he wonders whether gun control is an issue better left for elected officials.

Reinglass said she expects such criticism but added that it would be irresponsible to ignore a growing problem.

The heated debate nationwide over gun control also was evident in task force discussions. The task force could not reach a 75% majority vote to recommend a ban on all concealable weapons.

Instead, a slight majority supported the ban, but a vocal minority said such a move violates the rights of non-criminals and would not effectively stop gun-related crimes, since many weapons are stolen. Instead, the minority recommended tougher punishment, such as a so-called “three time loser” law that would sentence defendants convicted for a third time of a gun-related felony to prison without parole.

The task force also called for:

* Television and movie producers to de-emphasize violence in programming.

* A law to prevent police departments from selling confiscated weapons back to licensed gun dealers.

* Enhanced criminal penalties for possessing or selling stolen guns.

* Increased anti-violence and anti-gang education programs, starting at the preschool level. Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters, whose department confiscates about 150 firearms each month, said he has not read the report but welcomes any information that will add to the gun control debate.

“I don’t want to infringe on a person’s right to own a firearm, it’s a constitutional right, but there should be limits,” Walters said.