Candidates' stances on gun issues emerge (Cal Recall)

Sacramento Bee | 3 September 2003 | Herbert A. Sample

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It is certainly no secret that the characters portrayed by movie actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the leading Republican candidate in the gubernatorial recall election, have an affinity for guns.

Big guns. Powerful guns. Futuristic guns. A lot of guns of all types used in nearly every conceivable way to terminate, with extreme prejudice, human beings, aliens and a robot or two.

To some Californians, that make-believe violenc e places a special responsibility on Schwarzenegger to clearly spell out his views on regulating the availability of real guns to real people -- something he began to do last week. Meanwhile, groups advocating more gun-control laws and those opposed to additional restrictions are more than a little interested in whether Gov. Gray Davis retains his office -- and if not, who will succeed him.

"We would definitely prefer a governor who is clear on his position, either in support for the Second Amendment (to the U.S. Constitution) or in opposition to the Second Amendment and what it means constitutionally," said Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California.

California's gun laws have become much stricter in the last decade, largely due to Davis' signature on a host of new statutes. His predecessor, Pete Wilson, also approved several.

But more are in the pipeline. Davis or the next governor could soon face a bill -- a top priority of gun-control groups -- to require that most semiautomatic pistols include a device to disable the gun if its ammunition clip is disengaged. Another proposal, postponed until next year, would institute a 10-cent-per-bullet fee to finance emergency health care.

And a governor could use his or her budget powers to strengthen or derail some current laws, such as a state Department of Justice program designed to take guns from people who once were eligible to own firearms but who have since violated a law or court order.

Davis this year approved a $3.4 million expenditure for the effort. The California Rifle and Pistol Association supported the bill establishing the program but has since voiced concerns that it is being applied too broadly.

But just as gun control is a staple of Davis' social policies, gun violence has been ubiquitous in Schwarzenegger movies during the last 20 years. These include the "Terminator" series, "Predator" in 1987, "True Lies" in 1994, and "The 6th Day" three years ago.

But there are nuances to that record. Long before becoming a politician, Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying he directed Sony Pictures, whose Columbia Pictures unit distributed "The 6th Day," to remove the depiction of guns from a marketing poster.

Similarly, he has said he told toy maker Mattel to remove fake guns from a doll the firm wanted to sell in conjunction with 1993's "Last Action Hero." Neither Mattel nor Columbia could verify or contradict those claims.

And in last year's "Collateral Damage," Schwarzenegger's character does not even touch a gun, though he kills several people with his hands and an ax.

The picture's co-writer, David Griffiths, said that before Schwarzenegger became involved in the project, the script was written so the lead character, a firefighter bent on applying vigilante justice to terrorists, uses other means to kill.

Schwarzenegger later embraced the concept.

"One of the attractions to him was that the character, the protagonist, didn't use a gun," Griffiths said in an interview.

Before last week, what was known about the actor's views was sketchy. He and his campaign had refused to detail his positions, leaving observers to assess old quotes.

For example, Schwarzenegger told Playboy magazine in a 1988 interview that "outlawing guns is not the right method of eliminating the problem.

"If you outlaw guns, people will still have them illegally," he said. "In Europe, they're outlawed everywhere. They have very strict gun control in Italy. Yet the pope was shot. They have very strict gun control in Germany. Yet you see pimps shooting one another. Politicians have been shot in Sweden and Holland, where guns are outlawed.

"I don't know how you handle this. I'm no expert."

But in an interview with Berkeley's Youth Radio last year, Schwarzenegger said he wants kids to understand the difference between movies and real life.

"In reality, I'm for gun control," he said. "I'm a peace-loving guy. I hate violence amongst the young kids."

He went further on Aug. 27, telling a Los Angeles radio audience that he supports the federal Brady Bill's background checks on gun buyers, trigger locks, the assault rifle ban and restrictions on gun show purchases.

Whatever the case, Luis Tolley, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said he wants more specifics because Schwarzenegger, in his recent radio interview, voiced support for federal laws that are weaker than the state's rules.

"I support the Brady Bill, too," Tolley said. "But I don't want the Brady Bill to become law in California because we already have something stronger than that."

State law mandates a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases, while checks done in other states that operate under the Brady Bill can take just a few minutes, Tolley explained.

Whether Schwarzenegger "likes it or not, he is a role model for kids," Tolley added. "And as a role model, he has probably glorified gun violence more than anyone else. I think that gives him a special responsibility to talk about the difference between movies and real life."

But Schwarzenegger spokesman Sean Walsh disagreed, saying that adults have the freedom to choose entertainment with varying levels of violence.

"That said," Walsh added, "we have restrictions on content for underage children, and those restrictions should be enforced at home and at the movie theaters."

Except for Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Tom McClintock, most major candidates support gun-control measures already signed by Davis or pending in the Legislature, according to answers on questionnaires submitted by The Bee. The campaign of Republican Peter Ueberroth did not provide a policy statement on gun control.

McClintock last week won an endorsement from Gun Owners of California based on his long pro-gun voting record and his support for an interpretation of the Second Amendment that recognizes a right of individuals to own firearms.

"He's been tried and true," Paredes said.

As for Davis, he has been both a favorite of gun-control advocates and a target of their criticism. After signing an assault weapons ban into law in 1999, the governor said he favored a pause in further restrictions.

"It's been tough to get Gray Davis to get interested in issues we are interested in," said Ann Reiss Lane, founder of Women Against Gun Violence, citing a proposal to ban .50-caliber military-style sniper rifles on which Davis has not taken a position.

But Tolley said the governor "has been quite good for us." He cited Davis' approval of bills to repeal the immunity gun manufacturers once had to civil lawsuits and to mandate stricter training for handgun buyers. Tolley's group opposes the recall but has not decided to back a replacement candidate.

On the other hand, the California Rifle and Pistol Association wants Davis out precisely because he ventured beyond the assault weapon ban. "The man broke his word," said the group's spokesman, Chuck Michel.

But neither Michel's organization nor the National Rifle Association has endorsed a replacement candidate yet.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the leading Democrat in the contest to replace Davis, had a strong record of supporting gun control during his five years in the Assembly, according to Tolley. During that period, Bustamante voted to both shorten waiting periods for gun buyers and to ban cheap handguns.

One of the most progressive candidates in the race, independent Arianna Huffington, also backs further gun restrictions.

"People with power need to use that power responsibly and accountably," said a spokesman, Van Jones. "Picking up a gun gives you a whole lot of power in that moment. We need to make sure that people with access to that power have been properly vetted, have proper training and can be held accountable for their actions."

Green Party nominee Peter Camejo said that despite his party's support for strict gun-control laws, he has his doubts.

"The right to bear arms is a tradition," Camejo said, noting that he agrees with the individual-right interpretation of the Second Amendment. "I don't think we should abolish the right to own firearms.

"But we should limit it, regulate it and control it to minimize social damage."

[gatex]

"The California Rifle and Pistol Association supported the bill establishing the program but has since voiced concerns that it is being applied too broadly. "

" And they who cry - appease, appease,
"Are hanged by those they tried to please."

[Eastbound]

Compromise on federal gun control is capitulation to tyranny.

[Centurion2000]

Regulating the ownership of firearms is beyond the authority of government; all gun control laws are unconstitutional. Nearly all politicians are merely tyrants-in-waiting.

Bump .... you're right.