California politicians want gun right

Sacramento state assembly members have introduced a bill that would entitle them to carry concealed weapons Politicians in California say their working lives are now so dangerous that they should be given special dispensation to carry concealed guns to their offices in order to protect themselves. Members of the California state assembly in Sacramento from both main parties have introduced a bill that would put politicians in the same class of workers vulnerable to violence as agents who arrange bail for defendants or jewellery shop owners. The bill would grant California’s representatives to Congress in Washington and its state politicians a “good cause” classification, entitling them to carry hidden guns while in the state on the grounds of self-defence. The legislation , sponsored by two Democrats and one Republican politician in the Californian assembly, specifically refers to January’s mass shooting in Tucson in which six people were killed and 13 injured, including congress member Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Lou Correa, a Republican member of the Californian senate, told the Los Angeles Times that, in the wake of Tucson, he was considering keeping a stun gun in his office and said one of his employees had asked for increased protection from potentially violent members of the public. “I’ve had guys physically come up to me ready to punch me out,” Correa said, adding he had received email death threats. The Californian initiative highlights a peculiar trend since the Tucson shooting. Far from inspiring a major change in the US attitude towards personal weapons, which is among the most gun-friendly in the world, it has prompted a rash of legislative moves across the country designed further to loosen gun controls. The Legal Community Against Violence campaign estimates that there are currently 470 gun bills being considered around the US, of which 273 would make it easier for people to buy and carry weapons. Even in Arizona itself, where the Giffords shooting took place, there are 16 bills now pending, most of which favour the gun owner rather than the potential victims of gun outrages. One potentially significant shift in the other direction is that President Barack Obama appears to be moving towards tightening gun controls by making background checks on purchasers more stringent. In an article in the Arizona Daily Star, Obama said 2,000 Americans had been killed by guns since the Tucson massacre on 8 January. Every year, about 100,000 people are killed or injured as a result of gun violence in the US. “We have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it,” Obama wrote, highlighting the fact that Jared Loughner, who is charged with the Tucson shooting, was able to buy a gun, despite having been deemed by the US army to be unfit for service and by his college to be too unstable to study there. Obama went on to propose that the background check before gun sales should be made more rigorous and speedy. “None of us should be willing to remain passive in the face or violence or resigned to watching helplessly as another rampage unfolds on television.” US gun control California Gabrielle Giffords United States Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 14, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.