Gun Dealers

Re "Gun Show Still a Draw for Firearms Fans," Sept. 12. In this article, Dick Corrente is quoted as saying, "People think we're giving permits to drunks and crazy guys." Well, the fact is that the gun dealers at these traveling shows don't know that they're not selling to drunks and crazy guys. I'm tired of worrying about my daughter growing up in a world in which guns are too easily acquired by too many people. I have put my legislators on notice that I will never again vote for anyone who is not in favor of strict--if not Draconian--gun controls.

Every person who tries to buy any type of gun anywhere in the country by late this year will be subjected to a new FBI information system designed to restrict firearms sales, Justice Department officials said Wednesday. Starting Nov. 30, the Brady gun control law passed by Congress in 1994 will require licensed gun dealers to submit the names of all prospective gun purchasers to the FBI's "national instant check system" to screen out buyers who have criminal or violent records.

Thousands of firearms and rounds of ammunition vanished from gun dealerships when rioting and looting swept across Los Angeles last April. Though chilling, the looters' seemingly systematic targeting of gun shops has forced political leaders to come to grips with reality: There are more than enough gun dealerships in Los Angeles.

Saying violence follows gun sales, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called Tuesday for a ban on "Saturday night specials" and other easily concealable weapons in unincorporated areas of the county. The proposal, modeled on the city of Los Angeles ordinance, would also prohibit federally licensed gun dealers from selling firearms in any neighborhood zoned as a residential area, including sales from homes or cars.

OK, so Congress hasn't managed to pass a budget, fix the tax code or avert the automatic spending cuts of the dreaded "sequester. " Are they getting anything done on Capitol Hill? Yes, and you'll probably be surprised to hear where progress is being made: gun control. In both the Senate and the House, bipartisan teams of legislators have taken meaningful steps toward passing new laws in the wake of the December massacre in Newtown, Conn. SLIDESHOW: The 10 trigger-happiest states in America The measures inching ahead aren't the high-profile proposals that have attracted the most attention.

The FBI considers Irvine one of the nation's safest cities, a master-planned community where nagging issues range from lawn maintenance to the early morning howl of leaf blowers. But there's a new debate in town: gun control. Civic leaders have been presented with a proposal that would be among the toughest gun laws in the state, making it nearly impossible for new retailers to sell firearms. All in a city where gun violence is minimal.

Federal agents tracing the guns that ended up in the hands of two men who staged a violent holdup at a North Hollywood bank said the weapons initially were purchased legally and most passed through several owners before being used in the botched holdup. But most of the guns were illegally modified to automatic weapons, and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are focusing their efforts on who may have done the work. The robbers' superior gunfire on that terrifying Feb.

Five million people a year attend gun shows, and in most states the many who buy a firearm at these traveling bazaars are not subject to the background check requirements of the 1993 Brady gun control law. That loophole should be closed, especially now that the FBI is poised to roll out its computerized instant-check system. Most gun show customers, like the vast majority of those who buy from gun stores, are law-abiding.

Just two hours before shots were fired yet again at a California high school Thursday, the state Assembly passed the first bill of the year dealing with firearms, a measure banning the sale of guns from homes. The legislation, which did not receive a single Republican vote, exempts gun dealers in counties with fewer than 100,000 people and those who sell firearms defined as curios or relics. If passed by the Senate and signed by Gov.

The Los Angeles City Council votes today on a measure, introduced by Councilman Michael Feuer, that would limit handgun purchasers to one gun per month. Its passage would be a big step against the gangs and punks who, unable because of criminal records or their youth to buy their own firearms, acquire them through the bulk purchases of others. Passage would also signal a resolve by city leaders that could encourage county and state action.