First the San Francisco Gun Exchange, now Siegle's. Note that the gun tax was passed by Oakland voters!
Cliff
------
Oakland's last retail
gun store to close
Owner blames city's tough firearms
laws
BY SANDRA GONZALES
Mercury News
Mara Siegle, the owner of Oakland's last retail gun store, plans to
close shop today after 57 years of her family-owned business selling
handguns, hunting rifles and ammunition along with fishing gear and
clothing.
But Siegle, 45, isn't going into retirement willingly. The West Oakland
shop owner blames the city's special gun tax -- firearms dealers pay
$24 on every $1,000 in gross receipts -- for helping force her out of
business.
``All they're doing is making it harder for the honest, legal,
law-abiding citizens to go through the legal process . . . to keep and
bear arms,'' she says.
What infuriates Siegle, but delights many community leaders and
gun-control advocates, is Oakland's determined efforts to become a
national leader in curbing the availability of weapons -- from requiring
dealers to keep records of all ammunition sales to becoming the first
city in the country to ban the sale of compact handguns.
City officials and supporters say their efforts already are paying off in
fewer gun deaths -- and far fewer gun merchants.
Indeed, leaders say Oakland, saddled with a reputation for rampant
crime and crackling gun violence, is at the cutting edge of gun rules
that go well beyond state or federal requirements.
``Oakland, specifically, is one of the models that we want other cities
to follow in this country,'' said Brian Malte, a spokesman for the
western region of Handgun Control Inc., a gun-control advocacy
group. ``When you have a lot of gun-violence problems, you have to
take actions to deal with these problems.''
Yet despite a drop in Oakland's gun violence, critics of the city's
efforts insist these tactics do nothing to stop the proliferation of illegal
guns, and that the city is simply creating a hostile environment for
legitimate gun owners and dealers.
``If you're into symbolic stuff, they're the masters,'' said Stephen
Helsley, a state liaison for the National Rifle Association. ``They are
going to drive the proliferation of illegal firearms.''
But Oakland Vice-Mayor Henry Chang, who has backed many of
the gun-control measures, insists the city's aim is to stop gun-related
violence, not to drive legitimate gun dealers like Siegle out of town.
Officials point to statistics that show a marked decrease in both
homicides and number of times guns were used. In 1999, firearms
were involved in 47 of Oakland's 68 homicides (eight were
considered justifiable). By comparison, firearms were used in 109 of
the city's 153 homicides in 1995 (15 of those were considered
justifiable).
Additionally, police say 2,203 firearms were confiscated by officers in
1995, compared with 1,319 last year.
Even with these improvements, Chang says, guns remain a leading
cause of youth deaths.
``There's too much gun violence in the flatlands and we have to think
of ways to cure this,'' said the vice mayor, whose city has joined with
San Francisco in passing some of the same local ordinances.
Since adopting many of its gun-control laws, Oakland has seen the
number of dealers holding federal and local firearms licenses dwindle
from 100 nearly a decade ago to 57 in 1995 to its current six. Those
six include Siegle's, four pawn shops and one store that sells only to
police.
San Francisco, which has passed many of the same ordinances, has
only two federally licensed firearms dealers -- an auction house and a
gun store. San Jose has 14, according to police.
``They're trying to regulate gun ownership to death,'' said Chuck
Michel, a civil-rights attorney and spokesman for the California Rifle
and Pistol Association, referring to Oakland's laws. ``It's ludicrous to
think that their agenda is anything else but citizen disarmament.''
Michel's group is currently drafting three lawsuits targeting some of
the city's ordinances.
Oakland police Sgt. Gary Tolleson, who supervises the weapons unit
and also is a member of the National Rifle Association, acknowledges
``there's less gun violence and less use of firearms in Oakland.''
``Can I say that's because of these city ordinances? I don't know, but
the business-licensing ordinances have been successful in reducing the
number of licensed firearm dealers,'' said Tolleson.
Oakland has imposed a variety of gun laws. The measures include
prohibiting firearms dealers from operating in residential areas or near
places such as day care centers, schools or churches, and requiring
dealers to carry liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $1
million.
The city also was among the first few communities to ban ``Saturday
night specials'' -- or junk guns -- and also require that locking devices
be provided with all guns sold. Most cities in California, including San
Jose, now have these same ordinances in effect, and both regulations
take effect as state law within the next two years.
More recently, Oakland passed a law prohibiting minors and felons in
gun stores, and is currently looking into requiring that stolen or lost
handguns be reported. It has established a program to trace all guns
found in the hands of minors.
``They have some of the strictest laws in the United States as far as
I'm concerned,'' said Tony Cucchiaria, owner of the Traders in San
Leandro, one of the largest gun dealers in Northern California.
``Their agenda is to have a gunless society, where only criminals have
guns. None of these laws are designed to put criminals in jail, but are
preventing honest guys from buying them.''
Oakland is one of five cities in California, including Berkeley and San
Leandro, that imposes a firearms-related tax on dealers, according to
the San Francisco-based Legal Community Against Violence, which
surveyed local gun-control ordinances throughout the state.
The gun tax was passed by Oakland voters in 1998, and is one of a
slew of stringent measures the city has taken in the past several years
to tighten its grip on guns.
Yet a sign posted on the front door of Siegle's shop tells customers
and passersby how she views things: ``City of Oakland selectively
targets Siegle's with illegal tax . . . forced out of business. What's
next?''
A longtime customer browsing the store shook his head. ``I can't
believe they're targeting these people. They aren't the ones selling
illegal guns,'' said Javier Mendez, 40, of Oakland.
As for the tax, Chang said those who profit from selling guns should
also share part of the costs for treating gunshot victims, which he says
amounts to $30,000 to $35,000 for every such wound treated.
The money collected from the tax is supposed to go toward youth
non-violence education.
Supporters of the city's aggressive approach say it is long overdue.
``How many gun outlets do we need in a community?'' said Maria
Teresa Viramontes, executive director of the East Bay Public Safety
Corridor Partnership.
``Oakland recognized that the number of homicides were committed
by guns, and took a pro-community concept in gun-control laws,''
said Viramontes, whose group worked closely with city officials in
developing many of the local gun-control ordinances.
``It was a no-brainer -- limiting accessibility to guns was an important
strategy.''
While many California cities have approved some of the toughest
ordinances in the country, more than half of other states are
pre-empted from passing local ordinances stronger than state law,
according to Malte of Handgun Control Inc.
``Certainly there will still be guns in Oakland,'' said Andrew Spafford,
attorney for the Legal Community Against Violence in San Francisco.
``But you have to start taking steps to address these issues and
making it more difficult to obtain these weapons from dealers who
aren't taking the basic safety precautions.''
Cliff
------
Oakland's last retail
gun store to close
Owner blames city's tough firearms
laws
BY SANDRA GONZALES
Mercury News
Mara Siegle, the owner of Oakland's last retail gun store, plans to
close shop today after 57 years of her family-owned business selling
handguns, hunting rifles and ammunition along with fishing gear and
clothing.
But Siegle, 45, isn't going into retirement willingly. The West Oakland
shop owner blames the city's special gun tax -- firearms dealers pay
$24 on every $1,000 in gross receipts -- for helping force her out of
business.
``All they're doing is making it harder for the honest, legal,
law-abiding citizens to go through the legal process . . . to keep and
bear arms,'' she says.
What infuriates Siegle, but delights many community leaders and
gun-control advocates, is Oakland's determined efforts to become a
national leader in curbing the availability of weapons -- from requiring
dealers to keep records of all ammunition sales to becoming the first
city in the country to ban the sale of compact handguns.
City officials and supporters say their efforts already are paying off in
fewer gun deaths -- and far fewer gun merchants.
Indeed, leaders say Oakland, saddled with a reputation for rampant
crime and crackling gun violence, is at the cutting edge of gun rules
that go well beyond state or federal requirements.
``Oakland, specifically, is one of the models that we want other cities
to follow in this country,'' said Brian Malte, a spokesman for the
western region of Handgun Control Inc., a gun-control advocacy
group. ``When you have a lot of gun-violence problems, you have to
take actions to deal with these problems.''
Yet despite a drop in Oakland's gun violence, critics of the city's
efforts insist these tactics do nothing to stop the proliferation of illegal
guns, and that the city is simply creating a hostile environment for
legitimate gun owners and dealers.
``If you're into symbolic stuff, they're the masters,'' said Stephen
Helsley, a state liaison for the National Rifle Association. ``They are
going to drive the proliferation of illegal firearms.''
But Oakland Vice-Mayor Henry Chang, who has backed many of
the gun-control measures, insists the city's aim is to stop gun-related
violence, not to drive legitimate gun dealers like Siegle out of town.
Officials point to statistics that show a marked decrease in both
homicides and number of times guns were used. In 1999, firearms
were involved in 47 of Oakland's 68 homicides (eight were
considered justifiable). By comparison, firearms were used in 109 of
the city's 153 homicides in 1995 (15 of those were considered
justifiable).
Additionally, police say 2,203 firearms were confiscated by officers in
1995, compared with 1,319 last year.
Even with these improvements, Chang says, guns remain a leading
cause of youth deaths.
``There's too much gun violence in the flatlands and we have to think
of ways to cure this,'' said the vice mayor, whose city has joined with
San Francisco in passing some of the same local ordinances.
Since adopting many of its gun-control laws, Oakland has seen the
number of dealers holding federal and local firearms licenses dwindle
from 100 nearly a decade ago to 57 in 1995 to its current six. Those
six include Siegle's, four pawn shops and one store that sells only to
police.
San Francisco, which has passed many of the same ordinances, has
only two federally licensed firearms dealers -- an auction house and a
gun store. San Jose has 14, according to police.
``They're trying to regulate gun ownership to death,'' said Chuck
Michel, a civil-rights attorney and spokesman for the California Rifle
and Pistol Association, referring to Oakland's laws. ``It's ludicrous to
think that their agenda is anything else but citizen disarmament.''
Michel's group is currently drafting three lawsuits targeting some of
the city's ordinances.
Oakland police Sgt. Gary Tolleson, who supervises the weapons unit
and also is a member of the National Rifle Association, acknowledges
``there's less gun violence and less use of firearms in Oakland.''
``Can I say that's because of these city ordinances? I don't know, but
the business-licensing ordinances have been successful in reducing the
number of licensed firearm dealers,'' said Tolleson.
Oakland has imposed a variety of gun laws. The measures include
prohibiting firearms dealers from operating in residential areas or near
places such as day care centers, schools or churches, and requiring
dealers to carry liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $1
million.
The city also was among the first few communities to ban ``Saturday
night specials'' -- or junk guns -- and also require that locking devices
be provided with all guns sold. Most cities in California, including San
Jose, now have these same ordinances in effect, and both regulations
take effect as state law within the next two years.
More recently, Oakland passed a law prohibiting minors and felons in
gun stores, and is currently looking into requiring that stolen or lost
handguns be reported. It has established a program to trace all guns
found in the hands of minors.
``They have some of the strictest laws in the United States as far as
I'm concerned,'' said Tony Cucchiaria, owner of the Traders in San
Leandro, one of the largest gun dealers in Northern California.
``Their agenda is to have a gunless society, where only criminals have
guns. None of these laws are designed to put criminals in jail, but are
preventing honest guys from buying them.''
Oakland is one of five cities in California, including Berkeley and San
Leandro, that imposes a firearms-related tax on dealers, according to
the San Francisco-based Legal Community Against Violence, which
surveyed local gun-control ordinances throughout the state.
The gun tax was passed by Oakland voters in 1998, and is one of a
slew of stringent measures the city has taken in the past several years
to tighten its grip on guns.
Yet a sign posted on the front door of Siegle's shop tells customers
and passersby how she views things: ``City of Oakland selectively
targets Siegle's with illegal tax . . . forced out of business. What's
next?''
A longtime customer browsing the store shook his head. ``I can't
believe they're targeting these people. They aren't the ones selling
illegal guns,'' said Javier Mendez, 40, of Oakland.
As for the tax, Chang said those who profit from selling guns should
also share part of the costs for treating gunshot victims, which he says
amounts to $30,000 to $35,000 for every such wound treated.
The money collected from the tax is supposed to go toward youth
non-violence education.
Supporters of the city's aggressive approach say it is long overdue.
``How many gun outlets do we need in a community?'' said Maria
Teresa Viramontes, executive director of the East Bay Public Safety
Corridor Partnership.
``Oakland recognized that the number of homicides were committed
by guns, and took a pro-community concept in gun-control laws,''
said Viramontes, whose group worked closely with city officials in
developing many of the local gun-control ordinances.
``It was a no-brainer -- limiting accessibility to guns was an important
strategy.''
While many California cities have approved some of the toughest
ordinances in the country, more than half of other states are
pre-empted from passing local ordinances stronger than state law,
according to Malte of Handgun Control Inc.
``Certainly there will still be guns in Oakland,'' said Andrew Spafford,
attorney for the Legal Community Against Violence in San Francisco.
``But you have to start taking steps to address these issues and
making it more difficult to obtain these weapons from dealers who
aren't taking the basic safety precautions.''
All this means is that the law abiding citizens of Oakland are going to have to go elsewhere to purchase a gun to protect themselves...maybe that is what they were doing on voting day. Either that or a whole lotta people in the 'hood suddenly decided that it was worthwhile to register to vote to pass this tax...makes their "jobs" that much easier.