Unfinished Gun Laws

Gov. Gray Davis says he’s not interested in new gun laws right now, preferring to wait and see how the measures he signed last year work. Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, who in his election campaign promised to seek tougher assault gun laws, says he will remain neutral on any efforts for further gun laws. What gives?

By signing six major gun control laws last year, Davis made a strong and courageous statement about the need to curb firearms and associated crime. California now has, along with other firearm laws, a tough assault gun ban and measures limiting handgun purchasers to one per month and requiring safety testing for handguns. Whereas their predecessors had trembled in the face of the gun lobby, Davis and Lockyer, not to mention the lawmakers who drafted those bills, took the heat last year.

But surely the governor does not believe the gun problem is solved. The limit of one gun purchase per month will clamp down on so-called “straw” buyers, those with no criminal records who buy many firearms on behalf of gang members or others who couldn’t pass the required background check. The assault gun ban should reduce the stockpile of these especially devastating weapons, and new safety standards could keep the most poorly made handguns off the market.

But no matter how long Davis waits and no matter how smoothly these laws are implemented, they will not help police trace guns used in crimes, ensure that gun owners know safe handling methods or flag police that a gun owner who passed the state criminal background check when he bought his gun has since committed a crime that makes him ineligible to possess that weapon.

Only when guns are registered and their owners licensed will all of that happen. The Legislature has before it two registration and licensing bills. One, AB 1607, introduced by Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco), passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee last week. The other, AB 273, now before the Senate Public Safety Committee, is sponsored by Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Altadena). The bills share key features that would:

* Require handgun owners to report all sales or transfers. State law requires merchants to report sales to the state Department of Justice, but there is no such rule for subsequent sales between private parties. We require that of cars and we should do the same with guns. Up-to-date records would help police to quickly trace weapons.

* Require that handgun owners pass a safety test on loading, unloading and safely storing their firearms. This would reduce gun accidents.

* License handgun owners--and require regular license renewals with repeat background checks.

Gov. Davis deserves high praise for his support of last year’s gun bills. But to stall now, or to equivocate, is a futile attempt to placate the gun lobby. Governor, complete the job.

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This article states that “State law requires merchants to report sales to the state Department of Justice, but there is no such rule for subsequent sales between private parties.” In fact, sales between private parties must also be reported. See Letter to the Editor published 1-23-00.

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