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NRA Targets Anti-airgun Bureaucrats(link to poll)
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Alpharetta puts limits on air gun useBy MICHAEL PEARSONAtlanta Journal-Constitution Staff WriterYOUR TURN Do you agree with Alpharetta's decision to put restrictions on the use of BB and paintball guns? Yes 0% 0 No 100% 1 Total Votes 1 If Richard Whalen wants to use the new BB gun he got for Christmas, his father or another adult is going to have to tag along.The Alpharetta City Council passed a law Monday night making it illegal for anyone under 18 to carry a BB or paintball gun without the supervision of someone in a "parental role."The council's 4-3 vote came after nearly two hours of debate that took on familiar themes in Alpharetta, where the politically powerful Windward community led the charge for the law. Two of the four votes passing the measure came from council members who are Windward residents -- Jim Matoney and Debbie Gibson. For some opponents, the proposal was a legal mess -- another * in the rights of parents, a dangerously vague reaction to a nonexistent problem.For others, their opposition was about preserving some vestige of tradition in a community transformed from rural hamlet to a bustling business center in less than a generation.But the overwhelming theme seemed to be simple frustration with the direction of a community derisively nicknamed "Nanny City" by talk show host Neal Boortz earlier in the day."It's about control," said Rick Whalen, who bought a low-powered BB gun for Richard, 13. The air gun bill was the second parental responsibility proposal to come forward since a costly vandalism spree in the Windward community last year. The first was a stalled effort to impose a youth curfew that would have required the parents of repeat offenders to attend parenting classes. Windward is also the frequent target of resentment among longtime residents who disdain the drastic changes the city has experienced. "We're a convenient target because in some people's minds, we're the epitome of all the changes," Matoney said.Like many opponents, Whalen criticized the council for proposing a law based on problems in one area. "You're not addressing the people who are doing things that are wrong. You're addressing all people, and that's wrong," he said.The council changed the language to allow other adults "acting in a parental role" to supervise air gun use. The original ordinance called for legal guardians. The council also clarified in the ordinance so that the law does not require constant visual supervision.Despite the changes, Whalen wasn't persuaded that his son wouldn't be in danger of breaking the law if his son left his property and shot his gun in a neighbor's yard.But Matoney said the law was needed to fill gaps in city ordinances making it difficult for people to seek charges against youngsters who use air guns to harass people. "We are trying to curb irresponsible parents," he said. "If that's unreasonable, then so be it." Critics, led by Councilman Doug DeRito, said current laws could address the problems. "Our police aren't enforcing the existing laws aggressively enough," DeRito said.According to police, officers have responded to no more than 15 incidents involving air guns since January 2000, none involving injury or serious property damage.Matoney said unconfirmed reports suggest the guns may have also been used to ambush a jogger and kill a cat, among other things. Police have no record of such attacks, spokesman Chris Lagerbloom said. http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/0202/0204airguns.html
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