Requiring Exams on Gun Safety

“A Gunshy Governor” (editorial, Aug. 20) states that the gun lobby hates the comparison of car registration and drivers’ licenses to gun registration and licenses. I love the comparison. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicles accounted for 1,101 accidental deaths of 1-to 25-year-olds in California in 1998, the latest year that numbers are available. For that same year, firearms accounted for 32 accidental deaths--behind drowning, poisonings and pedestrian accidents.

If the same zeal was redirected to these other areas, we would all be driving cars with full roll cages and be required to wear helmets, or we would all be required to fill in our swimming pools. Guns are an easy target, but gun accidents are not a serious problem that requires the law-abiding gun owners to suffer so much inconvenience.

Charles Rozner

Northridge

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On Feb. 19, 2000, my daughter, Jennifer Lowe, was shot to death with a .40-caliber handgun. Her boyfriend turned the gun on himself after shooting her six times as she ran from him.

Most victims of gun violence are shot by someone they know. For the safety of our community and our families, it is vital for anyone who keeps handguns in the home to take responsibility for their proper use and storage. State Sen. Jack Scott’s SB 52 might not have saved Jennifer’s life, but it has the potential for saving many others.

Sheila Lowe

Valencia

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In your criticism of Gov. Gray Davis, you state that the gun lobby hates the comparison of guns with cars. It’s at that point you fail to make sense of it yourself. California does not require you to take an exam of any kind in order to purchase a vehicle, only to use it in public. It is OK to own a car and to drive on your private property without a license. Likewise, this is where Scott’s bill also fails.

We would be a lot better off if his bill set up a competency exam for the right to carry in public. A majority of states have come to realize the benefits; abuse by permit holders has proven to be almost nonexistent--lower than that of police officers. Crime overall has dropped faster in those states, thanks to the fears of the criminals instead of our own.

Eric Meyer

Northridge

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It is difficult to understand how any person, let alone a so-called responsible government official, could fail to support licensing of handguns. I’m among many voters who are questioning Davis’ reluctance to commit to signing this bill. If he was really concerned about handgun safety, he would be leading the charge to see that this bill is passed.

Frieda Rapoport Caplan

Los Alamitos