Burbank Leader, CA
June 2 2007
Political Landscape:
Officials weigh in on gun bill
In an effort to help law enforcement agencies investigate gun-related
crimes, the California Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday that would
require semi-automatic pistols to be equipped with a micro-stamping
mechanism that would etch information on the cartridge case.
Authored by Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Feuer, AB1471, which is on
its way to the Senate after passing 44-31 in the Assembly, is lauded
by its supporters as a tool that would help solve gun-related crimes,
especially homicides.
"Random gang shootings and drive bys – this is the type of thing that
this is intended to solve," Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, who
represents Glendale and Burbank, said.
If passed, cartridges from semi-automatic pistols found at a crime
scene would be a lead for law enforcement agencies to follow in their
investigations, Krekorian said.
But some opponents of the measure say the bill poses a risk to
law-abiding people, who, if their gun were stolen, could be connected
to a crime that they did not commit.
"I have concerns about the bill’s effectiveness," Assemblyman Cameron
Smyth, whose district includes a portion of La Crescenta, said.
"All you would need is one casing and that could lead to a conviction
and that can be disconcerting because of the concern of falsely
accused folks."
The bill has also riled Republicans, who say it is a veiled attempt
to chip away at people’s right to bear arms.
"Ultimately, the proponents of this measure are the same people who
desire to remove our 2nd Amendment right," Assemblyman Anthony Adams,
whose district includes La Crescenta, said.
"It’s another example of a bill that’s designed to inhibit our right
to use that right. All of those moves are incremental steps to get to
a point where the government is so invested in your right to own a
gun that they’re moved to the ultimate step of removing our 2nd
Amendment right all together."
Adams also noted that the micro-stamping technology itself is
unproven and that to mandate its use would be "irresponsible."
The bill’s proponents argue that the legislation is not a gun-control
issue.
"I think this is just the same large National Rifle Assn. paranoia,"
state Sen. Jack Scott, who represents Glendale and Burbank, said.
"They’re just against anything that’s against guns, but this isn’t
going to remove anyone’s right to have a gun. It’s just a tool to
fight crime and that’s why I think it makes real sense."
Amid concerns of false convictions tied to the legislation, Scott
said it’s important to consider how the bill could also lead to
acquittals.
"It would be a way not only to find people guilty, but to exonerate
people," Scott said.
The legislation would be welcomed by the Glendale Police Department,
Glendale Police Capt. Lief Nicolaisen said.
"Like the advances in forensics and DNA technologies … the
micro-stamping of cartridges is a great way to give us workable leads
in crimes of violence," Nicolaisen said.
A similar version of the bill was amended by the Senate last year
after initial passage in the Assembly, but failed to get back out of
the Assembly.
But this year, with a new Democratic majority, the bill is likely to
make it to the governor’s desk, Adams said.
"You’ll see it get passed by the Senate on a strict party-line vote
and then the governor is going to have a tough decision," Adams said.
Official to address business community
Judy Chu, the vice chair of the State Board of Equalization, is
scheduled to address the Glendale region’s small-business community
in a breakfast lecture at 7:45 a.m. on June 12, at the Fiscal Credit
Union, 310 E. Colorado Blvd., Glendale.
The event is sponsored by Fiscal Credit Union and the Armenian
American Chamber of Commerce.
Chu’s presentation, entitled "Small Business: Backbone of
California’s Future," is free and open to the public. RSVP to the
Armenian American Chamber of Commerce by June 8 at
aaccarmenianchamber.com or (818) 247-0196.
Legislation would honor firefighters
A bill authored by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, whose district
includes a portion of Montrose, would honor fallen federal
firefighters. It passed the Assembly floor 75-0 on Wednesday.
AB384 would guarantee spouses and surviving children of fallen
federal firefighters the ability to obtain fee waivers from
California’s public colleges and universities – University of
California, California State University and community colleges.
The bill would also help uninsured surviving spouses and children
gain access to a state-funded program to help them obtain medical and
dental benefits.
A similar waivers program was enacted in 1999, but since then, the
programs have been administered in a way that aids state firefighters
but excludes the survivors of fallen federal firefighters, according
to Portantino’s office.
The bill now moves to the Senate Rules Committee, where it will be
assigned to a policy committee in the coming weeks.