Covert Mission
New member
by JUDY HOLLAND
EXAMINER WASHINGTON BUREAU (exerpted)
April 13, 2000
©2000 San Francisco Examiner
URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/2000/04/13/NEWS7990dtl
WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced a tough new gun control proposal Thursday that would require federally approved licensing of all owners of handguns and certain semi-automatic weapons.
Feinstein, D-Calif., said she plans to introduce the legislation next year but is seeking to build support for it now because she expects that federal gun licensing
will be "a seminal issue in this presidential campaign."
"There will be a real choice between a candidate who will carry this fight and (one) who will not. This is not for nothing, because now everybody is listening,"
she said.
Feinstein's plan goes beyond what has been proposed by Vice President Al Gore, the likely Democratic candidate for president.
Gore has proposed requiring photo licenses for new handgun buyers. Feinstein's proposal would cover current owners of such guns and of semi-automatic
firearms that can accept detachable magazines.
Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the presumed GOP presidential candidate, has opted for less far-reaching measures. He has said he would sign a law requiring trigger
locks with handgun sales but wouldn't push such legislation. Bush has endorsed outlawing the import of certain high-capacity ammunition clips, a proposal that
Feinstein has long advocated. Bush also would raise the legal age for handgun purchases from 18 to 21.
Feinstein said her federal gun-licensing plan is intended to keep handguns and semi-automatic firearms away from "criminals, people with mental disabilities
and children."
She revealed her plan exactly one week before the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., when two students shot 12
students and a teacher to death and wounded 23 others before killing themselves.
"I happen to believe that licensing and registration is the future for dealing with firearms in this country," Feinstein said, adding that she hopes her plan will
spur "a constructive discussion."
Noting the expected opposition from gun advocates, she said passing such legislation "is a long-haul thing."
The National Rifle Association,
asked about her plan, quickly dismissed the idea and vowed to fight it.
"I'm sure all the violent felons in America are shaking in their boots and waiting to stand in Senator Feinstein's licensing lines," said Trish Hylton, an NRA
spokeswoman.
Under Feinstein's plan, applicants for gun licenses would have to pay $25 and go to one of 100,000 federally licensed firearms dealers or to a state-certified
office or dealer. The dealer or state-approved official would then record the gun sale and licensing with the Treasury Department.
Applicants would be required to submit a thumb print, a photograph, their name, birthplace and address and sign a statement swearing under penalty of perjury
that the information is accurate. They would also have to pass a written test, akin to a driver's test, that would pose questions about the safe handling of
firearms and the owner's legal responsibilities.
The licenses would be renewable every five years and could be revoked.
Feinstein's proposal would allow states to opt out of the federal licensing system if they adopt one at least as strict. In handling the licensing and sales or
transfers of any firearm under the measure, the dealers or state-approved officials would have to use a national instant background check.
Penalties for gun owners who do not get a license would range from $500 to $5,000. A parent who recklessly allows a child access to a loaded gun would be
subject to fines and up to two years in prison if the child kills or seriously injures another person.
Feinstein, who gave President Clinton an early draft of her gun licensing plan three weeks ago, said the legislation will be a top priority for her in the next
Congress.
"I have seen first hand what guns have done," said Feinstein, who became mayor of San Francisco in 1978 after the assassinations of then-Mayor George Moscone
and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Feinstein, who was president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, took Moscone's place and later won re-election in her own right.
"I've lived a life that has been impacted by weapons," she said.
"This is not an academic, esoteric issue for me. It's one I come to from my own experience."
©2000 San Francisco Examiner Page A1
EXAMINER WASHINGTON BUREAU (exerpted)
April 13, 2000
©2000 San Francisco Examiner
URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/2000/04/13/NEWS7990dtl
WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced a tough new gun control proposal Thursday that would require federally approved licensing of all owners of handguns and certain semi-automatic weapons.
Feinstein, D-Calif., said she plans to introduce the legislation next year but is seeking to build support for it now because she expects that federal gun licensing
will be "a seminal issue in this presidential campaign."
"There will be a real choice between a candidate who will carry this fight and (one) who will not. This is not for nothing, because now everybody is listening,"
she said.
Feinstein's plan goes beyond what has been proposed by Vice President Al Gore, the likely Democratic candidate for president.
Gore has proposed requiring photo licenses for new handgun buyers. Feinstein's proposal would cover current owners of such guns and of semi-automatic
firearms that can accept detachable magazines.
Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the presumed GOP presidential candidate, has opted for less far-reaching measures. He has said he would sign a law requiring trigger
locks with handgun sales but wouldn't push such legislation. Bush has endorsed outlawing the import of certain high-capacity ammunition clips, a proposal that
Feinstein has long advocated. Bush also would raise the legal age for handgun purchases from 18 to 21.
Feinstein said her federal gun-licensing plan is intended to keep handguns and semi-automatic firearms away from "criminals, people with mental disabilities
and children."
She revealed her plan exactly one week before the first anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., when two students shot 12
students and a teacher to death and wounded 23 others before killing themselves.
"I happen to believe that licensing and registration is the future for dealing with firearms in this country," Feinstein said, adding that she hopes her plan will
spur "a constructive discussion."
Noting the expected opposition from gun advocates, she said passing such legislation "is a long-haul thing."
The National Rifle Association,
asked about her plan, quickly dismissed the idea and vowed to fight it.
"I'm sure all the violent felons in America are shaking in their boots and waiting to stand in Senator Feinstein's licensing lines," said Trish Hylton, an NRA
spokeswoman.
Under Feinstein's plan, applicants for gun licenses would have to pay $25 and go to one of 100,000 federally licensed firearms dealers or to a state-certified
office or dealer. The dealer or state-approved official would then record the gun sale and licensing with the Treasury Department.
Applicants would be required to submit a thumb print, a photograph, their name, birthplace and address and sign a statement swearing under penalty of perjury
that the information is accurate. They would also have to pass a written test, akin to a driver's test, that would pose questions about the safe handling of
firearms and the owner's legal responsibilities.
The licenses would be renewable every five years and could be revoked.
Feinstein's proposal would allow states to opt out of the federal licensing system if they adopt one at least as strict. In handling the licensing and sales or
transfers of any firearm under the measure, the dealers or state-approved officials would have to use a national instant background check.
Penalties for gun owners who do not get a license would range from $500 to $5,000. A parent who recklessly allows a child access to a loaded gun would be
subject to fines and up to two years in prison if the child kills or seriously injures another person.
Feinstein, who gave President Clinton an early draft of her gun licensing plan three weeks ago, said the legislation will be a top priority for her in the next
Congress.
"I have seen first hand what guns have done," said Feinstein, who became mayor of San Francisco in 1978 after the assassinations of then-Mayor George Moscone
and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
Feinstein, who was president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, took Moscone's place and later won re-election in her own right.
"I've lived a life that has been impacted by weapons," she said.
"This is not an academic, esoteric issue for me. It's one I come to from my own experience."
©2000 San Francisco Examiner Page A1
