Taking Some License With Language Might Save Gun Bill

Don’t call it a “license.” Call it a “permit.” Better yet, a “safety certificate.”

With that semantical tweak, you just might get Gov. Gray Davis’ signature on what’s left of a bill to license handgun buyers. Probably get it, in fact. But it’s still not a done deal.

“I guess ‘license’ is a little more inflammatory than ‘safety certificate,’ ” notes Sen. Jack Scott (D-Altadena), author of the bill. “I’m not interested in what we call it. I’m interested in what it does.”

This is the No. 1 gun control bill of the legislative session, which adjourns Sept. 14. Identical versions are being pushed in each house by Scott and Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco). Both measures have passed one house and are pending in appropriation committees, awaiting a green or red light from middle-roader Davis.

Some moderate Democrats won’t put their votes on the line for a controversial bill the Democratic governor is likely to veto.

As originally introduced, the proposal would have required a background check and 10-day waiting period, same as now. But buyers also would have needed to show--at a firing range--that they could safely handle the weapon. They’d further need to leave a thumbprint at a law enforcement agency. And they’d have to pass a written test.

Currently, the handgun buyer can choose between taking the test or watching a safety video at the gun dealer. “Grab a Coke, eat some popcorn, watch a video and get a handgun,” Shelley says.

But the bill is being stripped down and simplified in an effort to win Davis’ approval. That entails, first, gaining the support of a powerful law enforcement group: the 50,000-member Peace Officers Research Assn. of California.

PORAC traditionally has not backed gun control bills--even bans on assault weapons and junk handguns. Members are deeply divided over gun ownership. But they traditionally have backed Davis in a big way. So the governor listens to them.

“PORAC endorsed Gray back in March ‘98, when he was road kill,” recalls Randy Perry, the group’s lobbyist. “He’s always asked for our input on firearms bills.”

To appease PORAC and Davis, the bill’s burden on buyers and cops is being eased.

The firing-range requirement will be deleted. Many communities don’t have shooting ranges, Perry notes, and driving long distances to find one would be an imposition. Instead, a purchaser can demonstrate safe handling at the gun store, using dummy bullets.

Actually, the dealer can be a one-stop shop. Also scratch that trip to a police station to leave off a thumbprint. The new bill allows the buyer to provide it at the store. “You want our officers at the back of the station rolling thumbprints or out on the street catching criminals?” Perry asks.

With these changes, Perry says, “we’ll support the bill and ask the governor for his signature.”

Davis has been nervous about this proposal--indeed, all new gun controls. Last year, he imposed a moratorium on such legislation, thereby freezing a handgun licensing bill.

But after the legislative session, Davis hinted to me he might support licensing. “You have to take a driver’s test to drive a car,” he pointed out. “You have to pass a written exam. You have to demonstrate some competence. That’s a concept people are comfortable with.”

“License” and “registration,” however, are fighting words to the gun lobby and taboo for Republicans and Central Valley Democrats.

So Davis is insisting that the bill be seen as a safety measure--not a licensing requirement--and the operable words be “permit” or “certificate.”

“I guess I’m supposed to be grateful, but he’s behaving outrageously,” says Anne Reiss Lane, chairman of Women Against Gun Violence and a former L.A. police commissioner. “This started out as a strong bill.”

Still, she adds, the compromise does contain a few “useful things.”

To ensure the buyer’s true identity, a magnetic swipe of a driver’s license, the thumbprint and proof of residence are required. The written safety test is mandated. A buyer must demonstrate he can safely handle every handgun purchased. The license--er, safety certificate--must be renewed every five years.

“I’m an incrementalist,” says Scott, a persistent pusher of gun controls, whose son was killed by a party host carelessly waving a shotgun.

“This is going on the governor’s desk.”

Let’s hope. It’s a good compromise--because it’s all Davis will accept, assuming he does.

And after Davis signs the bill, people can call it by any name they want. If it looks like a license, acts like a license . . .