Odhora Alo: O.C. voices add to debate over weapons ban

At Straightline Tactical in Anaheim, Don Zappone specializes in handguns and rifles for self-defense and target shooting. Many of the all-black rifles in particular have a military look ? but don't call them assault weapons.

"Assault weapons are already illegal in California," he said.

1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban

The law, which expired in 2004, banned the manufacture, transfer and possession of 18 semiautomatic weapons identified by name as well as any weapons having two or more military-style features, such as flash hiders and folding rifle stocks.

The ban also prohibited magazines of more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

A 2004 report by the University of Pennsylvania said it was too early to definitively assess the ban's impact. The ban had not yet reduced the use of large-capacity magazines in crime, and since millions of assault weapons and magazines purchased before the ban were exempt, the effects would occur gradually. The ban expired the year that report came out.

Source: University of Pennsylvania

It's a term that means different things to different people, but this year lawmakers will again seek a definition in an attempt to regulate firearm sales. In the past, gun owners have balked at classifications as arbitrary. Safety advocates have in turn decried the many exemptions and potential for gun manufacturers to skirt the rules.

In Orange County, no matter the definition, talk of new standards is sending crowds to local gun stores and raising gun owners' concerns about their right to bear arms.

In accordance with existing state law, Zappone's merchandise is semiautomatic, so each pull of the trigger releases one bullet. Magazines may hold no more than 10 bullets. Certain models are unavailable. To newcomers, the black rifles might look intimidating, but Zappone said in terms of power they're comparable to hunting rifles.

Like many gun owners and sellers, Zappone is anxiously waiting to see how far new gun-control laws go. For now, Zappone said, sales are through the roof. If strict gun-control laws pass, a move he doubts will prevent crime, he's not sure he'll be able to stay in business.

"It could be anything from basically taking half to three-quarters of our product lines from the shelves."

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By November, California had already beat previous years' records in the number of criminal background checks completed related to firearms. Data goes back to 1998, when the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System was launched. For all of 2012, the FBI reported 1.1 million firearm background checks in California, a 25 percent increase from the year before.

Sales have steadily increased in California over the past several years, according to the state Department of Justice, which tracks gun dealers' records of sale. Year-end totals from 2012 are not yet available, but as of August, 407,570 sales were reported ? a number easily on track to surpass last year's sales as well as a record set in 1993, the year after the L.A. riots.

Spikes in sales are often tied to events, with sellers reporting large numbers after the 2008 and 2012 elections. At the time, buyers said they feared Democratic leaders would bring about more gun-control laws. Now, with an eye to preventing large-scale tragedies such as the Dec. 16 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, legislators are considering a new assault-weapons ban. Local politicians are also working on a number of bills.

State Sen. Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, announced last month his plan to require permits to buy ammunition. Permits would be valid for one year, and the holder would have to pass a background check.

State Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, would like the state to ensure that schools have emergency-response plans in place. Those not in compliance could have their funding withheld.

"When children attend public school, they are in the care of the state and we better make sure they are as safe as possible," he said in a statement.

State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, is working on several gun-control bills, including one that would require yearly registration and background checks. Another would address safety requirements, and in December, he introduced a measure that would ban "bullet buttons" and "mag magnets," gun features that speed up the reloading of magazines. The legislation would also require that guns have a locked trigger and be stored in a lockbox when not in use.

"While we cannot stop every senseless act of gun violence, surely we can strengthen our laws to limit such tragedies in the future," Yee said in a statement.

In Congress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein has promised to introduce an assault-weapons bill with some of the same provisions as the ban she authored in 1994. The new bill would stop the sale of more than 100 named firearms as well as magazines that accept more than 10 rounds.

"It will be carefully focused on the most dangerous guns that have killed so many people over the years," Feinstein said in a statement," while protecting the rights of gun owners by exempting hundreds of weapons that fall outside the bill's scope."

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The promise of new laws, as well as a task-force led by Vice President Joe Biden, make Charlie Blek optimistic. Blek, president of the Orange County chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, has been involved in gun-control issues since 1994, when his son was shot and killed in an attempted robbery.

"I have learned that this is a marathon, not a sprint," he said.

Nationally, he'd like full background checks for every gun purchase.

Statewide, he hopes for the elimination of what he calls loopholes that subvert the intent of the law. For example, he blames manufacturers for creating bullet buttons as a workaround to the requirement calling for fixed magazines on guns with other military-style features. The button allows a shooter to quickly switch magazines with the touch of a tool, barely pausing to reload. The Legislature envisioned reloading as an opportunity during a crime for law enforcement or bystanders to subdue someone with a gun, Blek said.

"They're going to put their profit over our community safety," he said.

Gun regulations have found mixed success in the past. After the passage of 1994's assault-weapons ban, manufacturers created new models similar to those prohibited. Blek said it's key for advocates to stay on top of technology and respond to any loopholes. He credits the ban, which expired in 2004, with preventing violent crime.

"We have to start somewhere," he said.

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At Ade's Gun Shop in Orange, father-and-daughter owners Mike Hein and Emily Atkinson have seen unusually large crowds since November's election. Now, Atkinson said she's seeing even more customers.

"One or two," she joked.

Actually, Ade's has seen a record number of buyers and is having a hard time keeping merchandise on shelves. Manufacturers are having a hard time keeping up as well, and orders aren't being filled reliably.

"We can't get anything in," she said. "Everything is pretty much out of stock."

Colt and AR-style rifles have been popular among customers.

"Everyone's looking for a gun just to keep in their house, just for safety," she said.

She's not sure a new assault-weapons ban would make much difference for California sellers, who already face stringent gun-control standards. More consistency nationwide might actually level the playing field for sellers, she said.

Atkinson is not sure bans are the way to promote safety, however. When it comes to keeping firearms from the wrong hands, she sees a responsibility among sellers.

"If someone comes in and looks like a funny duck, they don't get one," she said.

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Jim Franks, an avid gun owner since he was 6 years old, has a request: that lawmakers come out and try shooting with him before creating laws as a reaction to tragedy.

"These people know nothing about firearms themselves," he said.

The 63-year-old Garden Grove resident has been involved for seven years with the Single Action Shooting Society, a group that meets monthly at Raahauge's Shooting Enterprises in Corona to test their speed and marksmanship with firearms straight out of the Old West. Franks, known as Wells Fargo to fellow Cowboy Action shooters, estimates he's helped introduce 6,000 people to the sport.

"It's all about enjoying the outdoors with people with the same interests as you, and just having a good time," Franks said.

The precision and intricacy of firearms led him to fall in love with collecting and shooting, and he now owns a variety of historic and modern models. The black and plastic rifles don't have the same kind of charm for him as wood and metal classics, but he understands the appeal. He compares them to a muscle car, while he's more of a '57 Chevy type.

Whether they're wood or plastic, the functionality of semiautomatic rifles is the same, he said. Pointing to a Colt M-4 carbine, modeled after the once nationally banned AR-15, he questioned why it should be singled out.

"This is a sporting rifle," he said. "This is not an assault weapon."

Contact the writer: ckoerner@ocregister.com or 714-704-3709

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/gun-382519-year-state.html

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