Simi Councilwoman Fights for Gun Rights

The last time that Sandi Webb went crusading in Sacramento, she took a truckload of turnips and advised state lawmakers, “Try squeezing some blood out of these.”

Next week, the outspoken Simi Valley councilwoman will head to the state capital to testify before an Assembly committee on her latest crusade: loosening restrictions for carrying concealed weapons.

“This is one of your real, true, last-minute, off-the-cuff, grass-roots-type of efforts,” said Webb, who will take a petition bearing more than 2,600 signatures asking for changes in how concealed handgun permits are issued. “We want reform.”

Webb was thrust into the national limelight recently when she called a San Fernando Valley man a “crime-fighting hero” for fatally shooting a graffiti tagger after the teen-ager allegedly threatened him.

She later admitted that she illegally carries a loaded handgun in her purse when she drives to Los Angeles. Webb said that, like her, “many, many, many people” carry concealed handguns without permits, often because they cannot get one. Carrying a concealed gun without a permit is a misdemeanor.

On Tuesday, Webb will speak in support of Assembly Bill 638, which would relax restrictions on the permit process. The proposed law would allow any resident age 21 or older to obtain a concealed weapon permit unless a governing agency could show good cause--such as mental illness or criminal history--why one should not be issued.

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Under existing state law, concealed weapon permits are conservatively handed out by the top law enforcement official in each jurisdiction. Typically, the police chief or county sheriff determines whether an applicant is of good character and has good cause for carrying a concealed weapon.

In Ventura County, 245 residents have obtained such permits, including prominent doctors, lawyers, celebrities, several judges and other high-ranking county officials.

Critics point to the elite list as one reason why the law needs to be changed. “It is very arbitrary and very discriminatory,” Webb said.

Simi Valley resident Ray Glazner has applied for a concealed weapon permit three times and been turned down each time. A business owner and competitive shooter, Glazner believes that he has been discriminated against.

“If you are not one of the good ol’ boy system, you don’t get one,” he said. “It’s totally unfair.”

Councilman Paul Miller is more than familiar with the existing law concerning concealed weapons permits. As Simi Valley’s police chief for 12 years, Miller had to decide who should and should not be granted a permit.

He acknowledges that determining “good cause” is a tough call, and said the law could be improved “if there is some standard that might make it more even-handed.”

But he cautioned that loosening restrictions could have drawbacks if permits are granted to people who don’t know how to use a gun properly and are not prepared for the possible consequences of firing it.

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Miller said that carrying a concealed weapon can cause deadly confrontations, such as the recent Valley tagger shooting. “If I don’t have a gun, I’m going to avoid putting myself in a dangerous situation,” he said.

He added that if the state is going to grant more permits to law-abiding residents, then it must toughen penalties against those who carry guns illegally and make the offense a felony.

The bill, which must be passed by the Assembly’s eight-member safety committee before it can be considered by the full Legislature, has received support in Simi Valley, where more permits were issued in the past five years than any other city in the county.

“People want their freedom of choice and they want to have their guns,” said Vicki Harper, manager of Paul’s Precision Gunsmithing in Simi Valley.

A longtime gun-rights advocate, Webb often refers to her own experience as a victim of violent crime when rallying for her cause. She says an intruder raped her in her home in San Bernardino 20 years ago. She now vows to protect herself and her 14-year-old daughter, Aubri, at all costs.

“The man who raped me didn’t have a gun; all he had was his fists and a pillow, and he almost suffocated me,” Webb said. “I cannot defend myself. I need a tool, and a firearm is a defensive tool.”