Los Angeles Times

Don’t scoff — U.S. Senate’s gun compromise is a big deal

- GEORGE SKELTON IN SACRAMENTO

Politicizi­ng is paying off. And hopefully we’re headed for the slippery slope that gun lobbies long have dreaded.

The response is automatic from gun groups and their elected toadies every time there’s another horrific mass shooting and frustrated firearms safety advocates go beyond the convention­al “thoughts and prayers” by asking why we allow civilians to acquire weapons of war. Why is America the undisputed gun violence leader of the industrial­ized world?

Sane people who raise these sensible questions are immediatel­y denounced for “politicizi­ng” the tragedy.

You bet, and good for the outraged gun control advocates. Politicizi­ng a problem is how we’re set up to change things in America, not by pulling weapons off the gun racks and firing away. Or invading the U.S. Capitol.

Thanks to time-honored democratic politicizi­ng, public pressure was heaped on enough Republican U.S. senators to prod them into agreeing last week on a framework for very modest gun legislatio­n.

Of course, it helped that the 10 Republican signerson aren’t running for reelection this year. In fact, four are retiring. So, they won’t be facing gun-worshiping voters in November and could listen to the rest of us.

Gun lobbies — led by the National Rifle Assn. — have blocked even the tamest gun controls in recent years, warning that they’d start us down “the slippery slope” to more aggressive measures.

Let’s hope they’re right and this compromise gets timid Republican­s comfortabl­e with passing laws that protect schoolchil­dren from tormented killers armed with assault weapons — and abused women from sick gun-wielding partners.

We can only hope that the slippery slope leads to restoring the assault weapons ban and outlawing high-capacity magazines. At the minimum, Congress should require universal, substantiv­e background checks for all gun sales — whether the weapon is sold by a licensed dealer or a private peddler. Like we do in California.

But Congress isn’t going to do that anytime soon. So, let’s be grateful for what safety measures we can get.

“It is not all we had hoped for. It’s not going to solve the gun violence crisis,” says Ari Freilich, state policy director for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

But he adds: “The house is on fire, and this is one bucket of water. We need a lot more buckets of water, but every bucket of water helps.”

“I’m excited. I didn’t expect anything,” says assistant professor Veronica Pear at the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program. “It’s a lot less than I’d like, but maybe next time it won’t be as hard” to compromise on gun control legislatio­n.

Actually, the Senate framework, assuming it really gets written into legislatio­n and passed, has some significan­t elements.

The bipartisan deal, crafted by Sens. Christophe­r S. Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (RTexas), would require enhanced background checks for 18- to-21-year-old gun buyers. They should be mandated for firearms purchasers of all ages, but this is a start.

Background checkers could dig into juvenile records that are now sealed.

The suspect in the recent racist shooting of 10 Black people at a Buffalo, N.Y., grocery store and the mass killer of 19 students plus two teachers at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school were both 18.

The compromise also would close the so-called “boyfriend” loophole. Now, a guy who beats up a spouse or a live-in partner can be found guilty of domestic violence and barred from possessing a gun.

But if he’s not living with the abused woman, he’s legally entitled to a weapon. Under the Senate agreement, he’d be stripped of his guns and couldn’t legally buy another.

There’d be billions of dollars — the precise amount hasn’t been determined — for mental health services and “red flag” programs.

The red-flag money is especially significan­t because these programs help keep guns away from potential killers or suicidal people in states where they exist, such as California. In California, they allow families, teachers and co-workers to report suspicious gun owners. Then a judge can order their weapons temporaril­y confiscate­d.

Nineteen states have some version of a red-flag law, and they’d all receive federal money to bolster their efforts under the Senate package. Importantl­y, there would be financial incentives for other states to create their own programs.

A recent study by UC Davis violence prevention researcher­s found that 58 people who threatened mass shootings were disarmed during the first three years of California’s sixyear-old red-flag program. At least 12 school shootings were averted.

“There’s not much doubt that red-flag laws prevent gun violence, including probably mass shootings,” says Garen Wintemute, who heads the UC Davis research program.

As for the Senate framework, Wintemute says: “It’s a level of progress we have not seen for a very long time. It’s all for the good. At the same time, everybody recognizes it’s nowhere near adequate and people hope this might be a first step.”

A step toward the slippery slope.

Meanwhile, the California Legislatur­e and Gov. Gavin Newsom are setting aside money and pushing bills to tighten the state’s gun laws.

The $300-billion budget passed by the Legislatur­e on Monday includes $40 million to help enforce the red-flag law, particular­ly in domestic violence cases.

A bill speeding toward passage would outlaw “ghost guns” that have no serial numbers and are untraceabl­e. They’re assembled from kits and don’t require background checks.

Another bill would allow victims of firearm violence to sue manufactur­ers and dealers that skirt California gun standards.

Meanwhile, the bipartisan U.S. Senate offering may seem like small potatoes — but really is a big deal.

 ?? Haven Daley Associated Press ?? IN CALIFORNIA, a bill would outlaw “ghost guns” like these, which have no serial numbers and are untraceabl­e. Congress is also considerin­g new gun laws.
Haven Daley Associated Press IN CALIFORNIA, a bill would outlaw “ghost guns” like these, which have no serial numbers and are untraceabl­e. Congress is also considerin­g new gun laws.
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 ?? Tom Williams CQ Roll Call ?? POLICE officials and other experts prepare to testify at a U.S. Senate hearing on protecting children from gun violence on Wednesday in Washington.
Tom Williams CQ Roll Call POLICE officials and other experts prepare to testify at a U.S. Senate hearing on protecting children from gun violence on Wednesday in Washington.

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