CRPA Letter To The Cities Of Fresno And Orange

Josey1

CRPA Letter To The Cities Of Fresno And OrangeDear City Council member: It has come to the attention of the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) that the gun ban lobby is currently pushing several ill-conceived gun control proposals in your area. The CRPA is an organization of over 60,000 sportsmen and women dedicated to preserving the American tradition of firearm ownership. Our organization has been promoting the shooting sports and the safe use and handling of firearms since 1875. Thus, we are writing to you today to request that we be included in the discussion of any of these proposals that comes to your attention, and to make you aware of effective programs that are available to you to fight the misuse of firearms. The ineffectiveness of the types of proposals currently being promoted in some areas is perhaps best illustrated by the recent experiences of the cities of Oakland and San Francisco. For years, these cities never met a gun control law they didn't like. Their city councils passed every ill-conceived gun control scheme that was suggested: "Saturday Night Special" bans on affordable handgun sales, zero-issuance of civilian concealed firearm permits for self-defense, onerous restrictions on gun store operations, and more. The cities taxed their gun retailers so heavily that most went out of business. They even sued the gun industry, in a frivolous attempt to assign the blame for their violence problems to one of the most heavily regulated businesses in the state. In short, whatever the gun ban lobby proposed, Oakland and San Francisco adopted. Yet none of it worked. Despite promises from the gun ban lobby and the promoters of these ordinances, these tried-and-failed schemes did not reduce crime or gun accidents. Oakland's and San Francisco's murder rates remain inexcusably high. Although Oakland had in place for several years the National Rifle Association sponsored Project Exile (a violence prevention project that enforces existing gun laws against violent felons), the city council did not fund the program to make it the tremendous success it has been elsewhere in the nation. Finally, as reported by the Associated Press and San Francisco Chronicle on August 28, 2001, Oakland officials turned to none other than the CRPA and the NRA for help with their problem. Oakland sought expertise and funding to advertise the city's commitment to enforce already tough state and federal laws against violent felons and emulate the success of other jurisdictions in reducing violence. Then in December, San Francisco adopted Operation Ceasefire, another program endorsed by CRPA and self-defense advocacy groups to enforce existing gun laws. There is a fundamental lesson to be learned from the failure of the gun control ordinances in Oakland and San Francisco: Contrary to the claims of the gun ban lobby, gun control laws typically increase violent crime by shifting the balance of power to the criminals, who ignore the laws. The fact is that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens deter crimes and save lives. Recognizing the successes of the self-defense civil rights groups in reducing the misuse of guns, the Bush Administration and the United States Department of Justice have committed to fund state-level prosecutor positions to work with federal officials, targeting criminals with stepped-up enforcement of existing gun laws. Thus, self defense civil rights groups no longer directly fund local law enforcement projects. But CRPA can help you take advantage of a variety of effective crime prevention and gun safety programs that are available to local officials. These include: Informational brochures such as CRPA's Know Your California Gun Laws, safety guidelines, civilian gun safety and firearm education classes; The award-winning Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, which teaches kids to stay away from guns (www.eaglepak.org); Project HomeSafe (www.projecthomesafe.org), which distributes free gun safety locks; "Don't Lie for the Other Guy," which enlists firearm dealers to fight illegal gun purchases and "straw purchases" (www.nafr.org); "Refuse To Be A Victim," which teaches a variety of personal safety techniques (www.nrahq.org/safety/rtbav), and a host of other programs. These efforts have proven successful across the nation, including many cities in California where they are currently used. Criminal misuse of firearms is down. And the number of firearm accidents is at its lowest level ever. In fact, the number of accidents has been falling to a new low every year, despite increased firearm ownership. Our organization's membership includes law enforcement officers, prosecutors, professionals, firearm experts, and loving parents. CRPA instructors have been teaching safe and responsible firearms ownership to those who choose to own a gun for sport or self-defense for over 100 years. CRPA is committed to reducing the misuse of firearms, and we have a wealth of resources available to help you make a fully informed policy decision. Often, however, we have been intentionally excluded from the decision making process by the actions of gun control advocates intent on misleading policy makers into passing counterproductive laws. If you are asked to consider a gun control law, or if you just want more information on the subject, please contact us at 800-305-CRPA (2772), or visit our website at www.crpa.org. The National Rifle Association's policy and research website at www.nraila.org, and at the National Shooting Sports Foundation website at www.nssf.org are excellent sources of information on effective firearm legislation, crime deterrence, and firearm safety. We're happy to provide you with these resources, and we encourage you to take advantage of them. Lives do depend on it. Sincerely, CALIFORNIA RIFLE & PISTOL ASSOCIATION James H. Erdman Executive Director http://www.crpa.org/pressrls011902.html