SHOOTINGS MAKE GUNS HOTTER ISSUE IN HOUSE.Byline: Lee Condon Staff Writer Last month's Granada Hills shooting rampage struck at the heart of the district represented by Republican Congressman Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, but the violence spree did nothing to change the staunch gun advocate's position on the increasingly heated debate over firearms This is an extensive list of small arms — pistol, machine gun, grenade launcher, anti-tank rifle — that includes variants. : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A
``Gun control would not have stopped this shooting,'' said McKeon's spokesman, David Foy, adding that the congressman represents a ``very conservative, pro-gun district.'' ``The Granada Hills shooting was a horrible tragedy, but it shows the futility Futility See also Despair, Frustration. American Scene, The portrays Americans as having secured necessities; now looking for amenities. [Am. Lit.: The American Scene] Babio performs the useless and supererogatory. [Fr. of gun control.'' As the Valley's congressional delegation resumes its work in Washington D.C. this fall, the House of Representatives is under intense pressure to respond to the series of high-profile shootings nationwide, including the one here at the North Valley Jewish Community Center. While the Senate passed a gun control bill in the wake of the shootings at Columbine High School Columbine High School is a secondary school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado. The school is located at 6201 South Pierce Street, one mile west of the Littleton city limits and half a mile south of the Denver city/county line. , the House so far has failed to approve any new legislation. When the House gun control debate is revived, the Valley shooting rampage is expected to be exhibit A - on both sides of the aisle. Like McKeon, some area representatives see little about the shootings to change their positions and, in fact, say it reinforces their views on gun control. Republicans see the shootings as evidence gun control doesn't work. Laws in place should have prevented suspect Buford O'Neal Furrow furrow /fur·row/ (fur´o) a groove or sulcus. atrioventricular furrow the transverse groove marking off the atria of the heart from the ventricles. Jr., a convicted felon An individual who commits a crime of a serious nature, such as Burglary or murder. A person who commits a felony. felon n. a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison. , from possessing any of the guns that police say he used to wound five at the North Valley Jewish Community Center and kill postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union - NPMHU and the American Postal Workers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. Joseph Ileto. ``Everything he had, he obtained illegally,'' said Rep. Elton Gallegly Elton W. Gallegly (born March 7 1944), an American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987, currently representing the 24th District of California (map). , R-Oxnard. ``There isn't a law in the world that could have changed what he did.'' For Democrats like Rep. Brad Sherman Bradley J. "Brad" Sherman (born October 24 1954) is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing California's At-large congressional district. , D-Woodland Hills, and Rep. Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Mission Hills, the rampage shows the need for tougher controls. ``Clearly people want reasonable gun control, particularly aimed at nuts who want to kill large numbers of people,'' Sherman said. Berman said he would support a House version of the Senate bill. ``If there is a big loophole An omission or Ambiguity in a legal document that allows the intent of the document to be evaded. Loopholes come into being through the passage of statutes, the enactment of regulations, the drafting of contracts or the decisions of courts. for gun shows, I'm for plugging up that loophole,'' he said. Election pressure While McKeon and Gallegly are sticking to their positions against gun control, Rep. James Rogan, R-Pasadena, once dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. a ``Defender of Freedom'' by the National Rifle Association National Rifle Association (NRA) Governing organization for the sport of shooting with rifles and pistols. It was founded in Britain in 1860. The U.S. organization, formed in 1871, has a membership of some four million. Both the British and the U.S. , said there are some restrictions he is willing to accept. Rogan is under more pressure than McKeon and Gallegly, in part because he's facing a strong challenge in the 2000 elections from Sen. Adam Schiff
Adam B. Schiff (born June 20 1960) is an American politician. He first served in the California State Senate. , D-Pasadena, and because he represents a moderate district with a majority of Democrats. Still, he agreed with his fellow Republicans that gun control alone will not prevent shootings, and he wants Congress to avoid a ``knee-jerk reaction.'' ``I'm mindful that there are already 20,000 gun control laws in the country, and I have yet to have someone tell me what gun control law would prevent a Columbine columbine, in botany columbine (kŏl`əmbīn), any plant of the genus Aquilegia, temperate-zone perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), popular both as wildflowers and as garden flowers. .'' He would rather see stricter enforcement of gun control laws on the books now, including the vigorous prosecution of felons who attempt to buy guns illegally. ``Before we go writing new laws New Laws: see Las Casas, Bartolomé de. , why not enforce the ones we have already?'' Last spring, Rogan co-authored the House version of the juvenile Brady Bill, which prevents kids with violent criminal records from buying guns as adults, and he voted along with Democrats to close a loophole allowing firearms to be sold at gun shows without background checks. He also supported a three-day waiting period for gun show sales rather than the Instacheck proposal supported by the NRA NRA (National Rifle Association of America) organization that encourages sharpshooting and use of firearms for hunting. [Am. Pop. Culture: NCE, 1895] See : Hunting . All those proposals eventually failed. Rogan said he will try to resurrect the juvenile Brady Bill this fall. The electoral challenge facing Rogan is the kind of pressure gun control advocates believe will work in their favor. Legislators can be very reactive to tragedies in their home states. On the day of the Senate decision, Max Cleland Joseph Maxwell Cleland (born August 24, 1942) is an American politician from Georgia. Cleland, a Democrat, is a former U.S. Senator, disabled US Army veteran of the Vietnam War, and a critic of the Bush Administration. , D-Ga., reversed his position, casting a crucial vote that allowed the bill to eventually win approval. That was also the day that a 15-year-old boy in Conyers, Ga., shot and wounded six fellow students at his high school. Schiff said Rogan's votes on the House gun bill and its amendments were a legislative ``sleight of hand sleight of hand n. pl. sleights of hand 1. A trick or set of tricks performed by a juggler or magician so quickly and deftly that the manner of execution cannot be observed; legerdemain. 2. .'' Schiff noted that Rogan voted for a doomed amendment, supported by gun control advocates, that would have added tougher gun control to the House bill. However, he later voted for a weakened version of the overall bill, which was being pushed by the NRA. ``He voted on both sides of the issue. It was a very poor subterfuge sub·ter·fuge n. A deceptive stratagem or device: "the paltry subterfuge of an anonymous signature" Robert Smith Surtees. designed to suggest to his constituents that he supports gun control and to show the NRA he supported their watered-down bill,'' Schiff said. ``He knows in this race he can't completely ignore his constituents' support of gun control.'' Shootings continue Gun control advocates claim Republicans in the House have delayed the vote in the hope that the memory of Columbine would have started to fade from the American consciousness by the time Congress reconvenes this fall. But horrific gun attacks keep happening. ``(Republicans) were trying to kill the momentum. They may have hoped this issue would go away by election time. But with this continued rash of shootings, it's clear it's not going to go away,'' said David Bernstein, a spokesman for Handgun Control Inc., the nation's largest gun control advocacy group. ``The images on television of little children being led out of a day-care center day-care center: see day nursery. by law enforcement are frightening to all parents.'' NRA spokesman Jim Manown said the organization is attempting to work with Congress on the juvenile justice bill, and the group does not necessarily disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" requiring background checks at gun shows. But Manown said that if the Senate version of the bill passes, the three-day waiting period and burdensome record-keeping requirements would destroy such ventures. ``Essentially it's going to put gun shows out of business,'' Manown said. ``The Senate-passed language contains broad far-reaching restriction on the Second Amendment.'' PROPOSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION The Senate in May narrowly passed a juvenile justice bill that closes a loophole that allows firearms to be sold at gun shows without background checks, bans the importation of large-capacity ammunition magazines and requires that handguns be sold with locks or storage devices. Senate and House negotiating committees are attempting to agree on a compromise bill that the House is considering now that Congress has reconvened. President Clinton has said the Senate bill does not go far enough, but that he would sign it. NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS California Law consists of 29 codes, covering various subject areas, the State Constitution and Statutes. See also
Gov. Gray Davis signed into law two new gun control measures. One strengthens the state's assault weapons ban. The other prohibits the purchase of more than one handgun a month. Last month, Davis signed into law bills that ban unsafe handguns and require trigger locks on firearms sold in California. PROPOSED CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, last month called for a hearing on the issue of instituting licensing and registration requirements for the ownership of assault weapons and handguns. Scott has also introduced legislation to bar the mentally ill from purchasing guns. - Daily News WHERE OUR HOUSE MEMBERS STAND The House of Representatives will take up proposed gun control legislation this fall. While known as the juvenile justice bill, it goes beyond kids. The Senate passed a version of the bill in May. It would require that sales at gun shows be subject to background checks, impose a ban on the import of large-capacity ammunition magazine, and mandate locks or storage devices be sold with handguns. The House failed to pass its version of the bill, which did not include any gun control provisions. House and Senate committees are negotiating a compromise. Republicans are pushing for a less restrictive bill that they believe can pass the House, while Democrats do not want the Senate bill watered down. The Daily News polled House members from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. region about where they stand on the bill: Rep. Howard L. Berman, D-Mission Hills Supports Senate bill Voted for doomed House amendment closing gun show loophole Supports strengthening federal hate crime law RECORD: Voted for Brady Bill in 1993 and Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 VIEW: ``My position is reasonable gun control. We have a very high interest in keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals.'' Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Oxnard Undecided on what changes need to be made to Senate bill Voted for NRA-sponsored House amendment that shortened Senate's three-day wait for purchases at gun shows RECORD: Voted for Brady Bill in 1993, voted against assault weapons ban in 1994, voted for repeal of assault weapons ban in 1996 VIEW: ``It appears 90 percent of the time it isn't the lack of laws, but it might be the lack of enforcement. Until we get a handle on putting people away and just throwing away the key, you're going to continue to have the problem.'' Rep. Howard P. `Buck' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita Undecided on what changes are needed to Senate bill Voted for NRA-sponsored House amendment, which shortened Senate's three-day wait for purchase at gun shows RECORD: Voted against Brady Bill, voted against assault weapons ban and voted for repeal of assault weapons ban VIEW: ``Gun control could not have stopped this shooting. California has one of the strongest assault weapon bans in the nation, and it didn't stop this maniac ma·ni·ac n. An insane person. maniac one affected with mania. ,'' said spokesman David Foy. Rep. James Rogan, R-Pasadena Undecided on changes to Senate bill Voted for House amendment designed to close gun show loophole, breaking ranks with Republican colleagues Sent constituents letter in July saying he supports background checks at gun shows, a ban on large capacity ammunition magazines, prohibiting juvenile offenders from ever owning a gun and requiring trigger locks on handguns RECORD: Honored by National Rifle Association as a ``Defender of Freedom'' - as California Assemblyman voted against gun control measures VIEW: ``I'm not sure I would use the phrase gun control, but we need to take steps to take action; to move in a matter. See also: Step to make sure people who shouldn't have a gun don't have a gun.'' Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills Supports Senate version of juvenile justice bill Voted for Handgun Control Inc.-sponsored House amendment to close gun show loophole RECORD: Co-author of strengthened federal hate crimes legislation VIEW: ``It's a huge loophole to say that you can walk into a gun show and buy guns even if you are a convicted felon.'' CAPTION(S): 5 Photos, 4 Boxes Photo: (1) Rep. Howard L. Berman (2) Rep. Elton Gallegly (3) Rep. Howard P. `Buck' McKeon (4) Rep. James Rogan (5) Rep. Brad Sherman Box: (1) WHERE OUR HOUSE MEMBERS STAND (See text) (2) PROPOSED FEDERAL LEGISLATION (See text) (3) NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS (See text) (4) PROPOSED CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION (See text) |
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