Battle Over Gun-Control Legislation Rages On

Re “Gun Policy Faces Major Bush Revamp,” July 26: Not only was this article quite disturbing regarding current gun laws, but also the part buried on Page 16 was frightening. It stated that the “U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development scrapped a $15-million Clinton administration program to buy back guns in and around public housing projects.” That program made sense and was working to reduce the number of guns in the wrong hands.

The tired excuse of the 2nd Amendment is as old as, well, the 2nd Amendment. Yes, it worked just fine 200 years ago when this country was young and primitive. The gun advocates have abused the 2nd Amendment ad nauseam. It is time to face the facts that too many people are being maimed, injured and ultimately killed by too many guns in the hands of very reckless and dangerous people. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft is out of line, and his loyalty to the NRA is despicable as well as irresponsible to all citizens and their right to not be shot.

Frances Terrell Lippman

Los Angeles

Thank God for Ashcroft and Bush. It’s about time we had people in Washington who defend our constitutional right to own a gun instead of trying to take our freedom away. The administration’s position on guns is simply common sense. You don’t stop gun crime by taking away the rights of law-abiding citizens. You stop crime by prosecuting criminals who violate gun laws. Ashcroft and Bush are doing a terrific job on this issue. Keep up the good work.

Mark Bedor

Studio City

In his complaints about the assault weapon law, Chuck Michel seems to have forgotten why assault weapons were banned in California in the first place (“Sloppy Gun Laws Confuse Owners, Law Enforcement,” Commentary, July 23).

In 1999, an angry man walked onto a schoolyard in Stockton and shot 34 little kids with an AK-47 assault weapon. Meanwhile, police were being gunned down by gang members with Uzis and similar weaponry. At the urging of law enforcement, California became the first state in the country to ban a list of about 70 military assault weapons.

The old instances of confusion that Michel trots out were due to former Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren’s failure to enforce the law. Lungren failed to enforce the ban on “copy-cat” assault weapons, making it harder for police to know which weapons were restricted, and he ignored the clear registration deadline until our lawsuit forced him to uphold the law. Thankfully, Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer has steadily enforced the law. Lockyer published a list of the illegal “copy-cat” assault weapons, so everyone knows what is banned, and stopped the illegal registrations.

Both California and federal courts have repeatedly upheld the assault-weapons ban and dismissed the NRA’s complaints as unfounded.

Luis Tolley

Western Director

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun

Violence, Los Angeles