Posted on 11/09/2005 7:00:49 AM PST by Mr. Mojo
True to their left-leaning reputation, San Francisco voters decided by a wide margin to ban the possession of handguns within city limits.
Proposition H makes it illegal for residents to keep handguns in their homes or businesses and prohibits the manufacture and sale of all firearms and ammunition in San Francisco. The City’s new ordinance will be the strictest in the nation, since it requires existing guns to be turned in to law enforcement officials by April 1. Law enforcement personnel and others who require weapons for work are exempt from the measure.
Supervisor Chris Daly, the author of the ballot measure, said the law was needed to reduce the number of guns in a city plagued by gun violence, with 88 homicides so far this year, about 60 percent of them by handguns, according to officials. Fewer guns in The City, according to Daly, means fewer guns for criminals to get their hands on.
“This is sensible gun control,” Daly said. “Prop. H isn’t going to solve violence in San Francisco, but it’s one part that we can do to get a handle on this epidemic of violence, most of it handgun-related.”
A coalition of organizations opposed to Prop. H, led by the National Rifle Association, have vowed they’ll be in court today to begin their legal challenge to San Francisco’s new law, arguing that cities do not have the authority to regulate firearms under California law.
“If you ban firearms, the criminals will have them and the law-abiding citizens won’t,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “San Francisco will be a magnet for crimes.”
Gottlieb said he was involved in the legal effort that took down a 1982 measure banning guns in San Francisco, which was signed into law by then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Daly said the new proposition was carefully crafted to avoid the same legal traps that allowed the courts to reject The City’s first gun measure.
Only two other major U.S. cities — Washington in 1976 and Chicago in 1982 — have implemented similar handgun bans. Unlike San Francisco’s ordinance, however, both cities permitted residents to keep guns owned when the ordinance went into effect.
Attention all criminals!!!
San Francisco is open for business!!
i want one!!!!! Now thats sweet!
The first time an off-duty police shoots and kills a lawbreaker watch them try to extend this ban to law enforcement.
Checked the wording on Prop. H and it appears one has 90 days from April 1st to turn in handguns. No mention of financial compensation. Will be anxiously awaiting the final count on number of handguns surrendered. (Anyone for a betting pool on the count?)
Brazil has more sense than San Francisco, and better looking women too.
Attention Oakland: San Francisco is yours for the pillaging.
What another terrible turn for such a great, beautiful city.
You can rest assured that they will - part of the benefit of being in government is never having to admit that you're wrong.
Never happen. The whole point of this legislation is to create a separate armed overclass (law enforcement and government) and a defenseless disarmed underclass (the taxpaying peasants)
Actually I think it's a good idea.
Kinda like calling them out....
IF...there's no gun's in the City...why do the police still carry gun's? They shouldn't need them!!
Give them all billy-clubs only. And maybe give the supervisor's tasers. Nothing else. I'm sure the S.F.P.D. will go along with this....
Heh,heh,heh....
Of course they won't; even if inclined to break the law they won't need to.
With guns banned, they'll be able to safely carry out their aggressive panhandling campaign with knives and baseball bats.
They just put out a BIG welcome sign to all criminals. And they don't want to have a group hug.
slip further???????????// U gotta be kidding....
I can't wait to see what gun violence is going to jump to now in that city!
You nailed it squarely! You can be sure that Senator Feinstein will not drop her handgun off at the Golden Gate Bridge toolbooth on her way into town from her Stinson Beach house.
I'm quite sure if the voters of S.F. were presented with a proposition that exempted Democrat politicians (like Diane Feinstein) from this new ban they'd vote for it just as enthusiastically. Calling them sheep is an insult to sheep.
If this is true, I am a little less ruffled...
All they have to do is give a deadline for turning them in and a lot of people will willingly give them up.
I just found that out. I was wondering about it.
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