Assembly Panel to Debate Tougher Gun-Test Bill

A bill to dramatically increase the amount of testing required by people who want to buy a gun will go before the state Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today.

Co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), the bill would require buyers to pass a written test on state gun laws, as well as range tests on handling and proficiency. Jackson represents portions of Ventura County.

Current state laws require buyers to take either a written test, watch a two-hour gun safety video or attend a half-day class.

“Those of us who are outraged by the gun violence that has killed or wounded thousands of children recognize that requiring a safety license to purchase a handgun is just common sense,” Jackson said in a written statement.

Local gun advocates, though, said the bill will do nothing to reduce violence on the streets.

“It’s not the people who are intelligent and safe who are causing problems with guns. The criminals don’t go through stores to buy guns,” said Charles Bradshaw, a certified instructor at Shooter’s Paradise in Oxnard.

Jackson spokeswoman Janice Rocco countered by saying that the bill was about “sending a message to gun owners about responsibility” and to prevent accidents from occurring in homes.

If the bill passes the Public Safety Committee, it will be forwarded to the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee for consideration, Rocco said.