-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- California Assembly panel passes handgun bill Updated 7:00 PM ET January 12, 2000 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California State Assembly panel has approved a bill that would require handgun owners to register their weapons and get renewable licenses to use them. The measure, passed 5-2 by the Assembly's Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, would give California one of the toughest handgun laws in the nation. The vote in the Democratic-controlled committee came despite a call from Democratic Gov. Gray Davis for an election-year moratorium on new gun legislation. Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois all require some form of licensing or registration, but this proposal is more comprehensive, the bill's sponsor said Wednesday. "It seems pretty straightforward to me that if we deem it prudent to license and register cars then we should do the same with guns," Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Shelley said in a telephone interview. The bill calls for handgun owners to get four-year licenses and submit thumbprints to the California Justice Department. It also would require handgun owners to take a written and practical test and would subject them to annual registration renewals. The measure seeks to create a tracking system that would make it easier for police to find stolen handguns and to ensure that people who buy the weapons know how to use them, Shelley said. A spokesman for Assembly Republican leader Scott Baugh said the lawmaker agrees with the governor's call for a moratorium and believes the state must enforce the laws already on the books instead of passing new ones. The National Rifle Association, which also opposes the bill, estimates there are some 7 million to 10 million handguns in California. The bill now goes to the Appropriations Committee and by law must move out of the Assembly by Jan. 31. http://news.excite.com/news/r/000112/19/politics-california-guns Bard <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
