Lawmakers and Activists Gather, Vow to Work for Gun Control

Galvanized by tragic stories and sobering statistics of gun violence, a coalition of state and local lawmakers pledged Saturday to work for tougher firearms laws throughout California.

“We can’t do anything about those who we have already lost. But we can save lives, we can prevent injuries,” Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Pasadena) told about 100 elected officials, public health experts, community organizers and victims of gun violence.

Meeting in West Hollywood, a community that has banned sales of cheap handguns--so-called Saturday night specials--the coalition assembled with the goal of replicating the organizational might of its nemesis, the National Rifle Assn. As such, the first-ever summit was aimed at developing grass-roots strategies to bring about widespread actions in such areas as banning cheap handguns and requiring trigger safety locks on all firearms sold.

For almost five hours, the group--representing 24 cities and 70 community organizations--heard a litany of grim stories and statistics on the toll of gun violence.

Among them: More than 1,300 people were killed by guns in Los Angeles County in 1997. Of those, 187 were age 18 or younger.

Statewide, the numbers were equally chilling--about 3,700 homicides and suicides involving guns in 1997.

“That is the equivalent of 10 jumbo jets” full of people, said Susan Sorenson a professor at UCLA’s School of Public Health and one of the day’s speakers. “If we had 10 jumbo jets crash and kill everyone aboard in one year, people would be wanting to know what is wrong with these jets. They would demand we do something.”

But there has been no such outcry over gun violence, organizers said, because the deaths have been scattered throughout the state, the victims drawing notice only sporadically.

To change that, Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer told the gathering, those who support tougher restrictions on firearms must organize, city by city, and make their case for new laws.

“Gun violence is an epidemic . . . that we have a responsibility to do something about,” Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) told the group. “What you do here . . . is so important because it starts to tear down the opposition. They don’t want to deal with 200 cities.”

“We are not trying to take guns away from people,” said Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn. “We are trying to prevent the illegal sale of guns. We are trying to make them safer. We are trying to prevent the tragedies that are taking place on our streets.”

Throughout the session, panelists and others shared stories about losing friends or relatives.

Some, like Assemblyman Scott, had been pushing for tougher guns laws before being touched by tragedy. In Scott’s case, his son, an attorney, was killed in 1993 when a friend’s handgun accidentally discharged.

For others, crime-related bloodshed brought them to this meeting.

“There once was a time when I felt that gun violence was something that I need not concern myself with, and then came that awful call at 3 a.m.” back in 1994, Mary Leigh Blek told the crowd. “Matthew, our firstborn, was on a college break and walking a date home when he was approached by three 15-year-old boys wielding two handguns who demanded his wallet.”

Matthew Blek, a 21-year-old honor student in math, a high school wrestling star, a beloved son, was shot to death as he handed over his wallet, his mother said.

Today, Blek and her husband, Charles, direct the Orange County Citizens for the Prevention of Gun Violence. And soon, she said, a grant will help fund a nationwide mobilization of advocates, including their group, to work for tougher gun control laws.

“We do this in memory of the loved ones lost to us, our communities, our nation,” Blek told the crowd. “We do this because we don’t want you to suffer this terrible loss. We do this because we want to protect our other children.

“And we do it for ourselves,” she said, choking back tears, “because it helps us to heal.”

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Casualties of Gun Violence

A coalition of elected officials, public health experts and community organizations assembled Saturday to redouble efforts for tougher gun laws. The following chart shows the level of firearms violence in 1997 in some Southern California counties and the breakdown by age group of gun deaths in Los Angeles County.

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County Homicide Suicide Total Los Angeles 954 383 1,337 Riverside 80 85 165 San Diego 89 152 241

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY

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Age of victim Homicide Suicide Total Under 15 20 1 21 25-34 282 64 346 45 and older 79 203 282

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Source: Orange County Citizens for the Prevention of Gun Violence