Gun Control

I am in concurrence with the sentiments from Jon “Bullet” Bales about the confusion as the start of the race (“ Downtown Dash the worst 5K run ever ,” March 15). If there is a false start, a recall gun should be shot to recall the field. This would be especially true of a road race. Since I was not being timed, I went on once I finally got an idea that something was wrong. While on the course, it appeared that the actual race was not started for another 15 minutes. That is probably due to way too much talk before the official start.

Once again, our country has been forced to reflect upon the actions of a mad man armed with an assault weapon. This time, it was in Aurora, Colo. Who knows where it will happen next time? It is with this uncertainty that we should feel a need to seriously start thinking about how we can minimize the damage that a deranged individual can inflict upon the rest of us. Like many of you, I've involved myself in numerous conversations about the tragic events that took 12 innocent lives and injured dozens more last week.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) was one of a growing chorus of lawmakers who took to the weekend political talk show circuit to call for stricter gun controls, improved school safety and enhanced mental health measures. Appearing on MSNBC the day after the mass shooting at a school in Connecticut left 20 first-graders dead, Schiff said the massacre of 26 people - 20 of them first-graders who were shot multiple times - at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday should serve as a “tipping point” for enacting responsible gun control legislation, ranging from renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban to closing gun show loopholes.

I'm really disappointed with the National Rifle Assn. After the Newtown massacre its spokesperson really came up short. He did not make it clear that multiple armed guards would be needed in almost every school, especially at larger schools, in order to minimize response times to incursions. It's also clear that it would be even better if every teacher was armed for maximum child protection. The NRA also failed to mention the need for armed guards at churches, theaters, malls and any other venue where people congregate.

Claudia Peschiutta MONTROSE -- An angel made from the melted metal of weapons is the symbol of peace recently presented to state Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Montrose). The Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles gave an Angel of Peace Award to Scott Wednesday for his efforts to toughen gun control legislation. Since he took the 44th state Assembly District seat, Scott has had seven gun control bills signed into law. They include bills that require trigger locks on all guns and increase penalties for carrying a concealed handgun in public, said Mark Chekal, a spokesman for Scott.

The subject of last weekend's "In Theory" section was very interesting, addressing what can be done to slow down the gun violence in our society . From the 10 responding people, clergy and lay people, five are for stricter gun control, two noncommitted, two wishy-washy and one for almost no gun control law, the Rev. Bryan Griem. His message of peace is let every citizen be armed to their teeth. Rev. Griem, have you heard about citizens who legitimately carry guns - police, hunters, reservists, armed forces, Homeland Security, etc.?

Scott Wildman I take exception to the implication concerning my position on gun registration and licensing contained in the News-Press coverage of the candidate forum at the Glendale Central Library ("Glendale forum poorly attended," Feb. 3). Anyone familiar with my voting record during the past three years knows that I am a strong proponent of mitigating the proliferation of gun violence that has erupted in our local communities and all over our country.

I suspect that the Glendale News-Press might no longer exist, or at least not as a daily, if it weren't for the vigorous Community Forum page. Every morning when I pick up the paper from the driveway, the first thing I look at is the forum page to see what the issue du jour is. Although lately I don't even have to open the paper to know what it is -- flag lowering. Some letters and editorials I agree with, some I disagree with, some make me mad, some make me laugh and some make me sad. But the winner for first prize for absurdity is Phillip A. Pilgram's "Past teaches more than one lesson," May 5. In it, the alleged Turkish confiscation of firearms from Armenians prior to the time of the genocide is ridiculously linked to Pilgram's antigun-control agenda.

Robert Shaffer GLENDALE -- Candidates from three state races convened on Glendale Community College Thursday, but it wasn't until Senate candidates took the stage that things got feisty. Most candidates for the 44th and 43rd Assembly and 21st state Senate districts thanked the students in the crowd and crafted their messages around education and voter participation. Jack Scott and Scott Wildman, both members of the Assembly who are campaigning in the Democratic primary for the state Senate, took turns pointing out shortcomings of their March 7 opponent.

Robert Shaffer GLENDALE -- Congressman James Rogan and other members of the U.S. House of Representatives met recently with President Clinton to discuss ending the impasse over gun control in Congress. The congressman and several other legislators spent about 15 minutes with the president at the White House Wednesday morning, Rogan (R-Glendale) said. "We mostly talked about gun control and how it should be a bipartisan issue," he said. The discussion centered on how to push gun legislation that stalled last year through Congress this year, Rogan said.

With the nation locked in the politics of a gun control debate, local vendors say a nationwide rush by gun buyers has made it difficult to serve their customers. The tight nationwide supply has frustrated local gun dealers and their ability to satisfy increased demand in the wake of President Obama's push for tighter gun control measures. Robert Ron, manager at Gun Gallery in Glendale, said sales at the store picked up for two weeks after Obama's statement on gun control, but hit a wall when the store was unable to restock much of its merchandise.

Craig Kupka, I appreciate your thoughts about guns (“ Hunting rifles, shotguns are enough ,” Mailbag, Feb. 6), but you are an optimist. If you think owners of illegal guns are going to surrender their handguns and military-style weapons don't hold your breath; you won't live that long. Your thought on rejuvenating the mental health system is a goal we should attempt to achieve. Unfortunately, the mental health system is so fractured it will take years and billions of dollars to reach a meaningful status.

We all have read many strong and conflicting opinions regarding gun control since the Newtown, Conn., shooting. In my 66-plus years I finally have come to the position that the only legal guns should be hunting rifles and hunting shotguns, law enforcement and the military exempted. Ban and confiscate all the other guns out there. This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative positions, nor do I really wish to legislate my position and force others to obey the law the way I want.

Congratulations to the City Council. Its move toward banning sales of guns on city-owned property shows remarkable courage and insight. The vehement, if not rabid, opposition of the NRA and most gun owners to even the minutest forms of gun control is certainly not something to be easily ignored. Of course what the city is proposing will not have a major effect on gun violence (although it could possibly prevent a few instances), but it is a small step in the right direction and is symbolic of the council's concern for the lives of the people of our community.

California Sen. Diane Feinstein may have few Republican allies -- or even conservative Democrats -- as she pushes a new assault weapons ban, but she can at least count on the support of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) who issued a statement Thursday hailing the legislative effort. “No one thinks that this fight is going to be easy, but who can be content to do nothing in the face of one awful tragedy after another?” Schiff said in a statement. Feinstein's new measure, which goes further than the now-lapsed 1994 law she authored, would prohibit the sale, import and manufacture of more than 150 weapons -- including the make of Bushmaster rifle used in the Connecticut school shootings -- and ammunition magazines that can accept more than 10 rounds, according to the L.A. Times . Those who legally own assault weapons would be allowed to keep them.

Gun control, or just control? That's what it's all about. I agree with Councilman Rafi Manoukian on many issues, but this is not one of them. He and some others on the council believe that closing the gun shows at the Civic Auditorium will reduce exposure of our college students (99% adults who have 2nd Amendment rights) to the terrible use of weapons of mass destruction. On this one, in my view, he is very wrong. Contrary to the comments of other council members, there is no criminal activity attributable to the legal products sold at the gun show, according to Glendale Police Department officers.

I'm really disappointed with the National Rifle Assn. After the Newtown massacre its spokesperson really came up short. He did not make it clear that multiple armed guards would be needed in almost every school, especially at larger schools, in order to minimize response times to incursions. It's also clear that it would be even better if every teacher was armed for maximum child protection. The NRA also failed to mention the need for armed guards at churches, theaters, malls and any other venue where people congregate.

The subject of last weekend's "In Theory" section was very interesting, addressing what can be done to slow down the gun violence in our society . From the 10 responding people, clergy and lay people, five are for stricter gun control, two noncommitted, two wishy-washy and one for almost no gun control law, the Rev. Bryan Griem. His message of peace is let every citizen be armed to their teeth. Rev. Griem, have you heard about citizens who legitimately carry guns - police, hunters, reservists, armed forces, Homeland Security, etc.?

There are families in Newtown, Conn. who are enduring the holidays without their children. There are empty spots on couches, unwrapped presents and those who weep at the sight of them. The Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School - which took the lives of 20 first-grade students and six staff members - means that this season is forever marred by loss for the New England community. The trauma has reverberated across the country. We gathered in parks and churches to memorialize the victims.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) was one of a growing chorus of lawmakers who took to the weekend political talk show circuit to call for stricter gun controls, improved school safety and enhanced mental health measures. Appearing on MSNBC the day after the mass shooting at a school in Connecticut left 20 first-graders dead, Schiff said the massacre of 26 people - 20 of them first-graders who were shot multiple times - at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday should serve as a “tipping point” for enacting responsible gun control legislation, ranging from renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban to closing gun show loopholes.