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Late Breaking News |
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| Date: July 22, 1998 4:08 pm Contact: Handgun Control Luis Tolley, 310-441-3722 or 310-998-9960 (pager) |
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Latest News Releases
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Judge Rules Calif. Attorney General Broke Assault Weapon Law | ||
| SAN FRANCISCO - July 22 - In a major victory for gun control groups, San
Francisco Superior Court Judge Raymond Williamson has ordered California Attorney General
Dan Lungren to stop registering illegally-owned assault weapons. Judge Williamson ruled that Lungren, who is running for governor, has acted without authority by continuing to register thousands of illegally-owned assault weapons after the May 30, 1992 registration deadline established by the California assault weapon ban. The ruling will not only force Lungren to cease new registrations of assault weapons, but will also require a review of past registrations authorized by Lungren to determine whether the weapons were legally registered. Possession of unregistered assault weapons is a crime. Handgun Control Inc. and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, both chaired by Sarah Brady, filed suit on Dec. 16, 1997, to stop Lungren from registering assault weapons after the law's deadline. The groups argued that Lungren's unauthorized registration scheme undercut California's landmark assault weapon ban by allowing illegally-owned guns to remain in California and encouraging underground trafficking of assault weapons into the state where Lungren allowed them to be kept and registered. "Attorney General Lungren has violated California's assault weapons ban and threatened the safety of the state's citizens," said Mrs. Brady. "By illegally registering assault weapons, the attorney general has allowed UZIs and AK-47s to flow into the illegal market and into criminal hands. I am delighted that Judge Williamson has put a stop to this unconscionable behavior and will force the attorney general to uphold the laws of his state." Assault weapons that are illegal in California may be purchased in other states and then smuggled into California where they been registered by Lungren and made "legal." A Los Angeles Times investigation found that thousands of assault weapons have been registered since the deadline passed. In fact, gun dealers in other states have been informing California buyers that Lungren's registration scheme allows them to evade the law. The purpose of the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapon Control Act was to freeze the number of assault weapons available in California and thus to prevent people from buying them in other states and bringing them into California. The law was passed in 1989 following a massacre in a Stockton schoolyard, in which 30 people were shot and five children killed with an AK-47. In addition to banning the future manufacture and sale of assault weapons in California, the statute allowed people to possess assault weapons only if they already legally-owned the guns at the time the statute was passed -- and registered the guns prior to the deadline. Despite the cut-off date, Attorney General Lungren has continued to allow thousands of people to register such weapons without even requiring proof that the weapons had been purchased before the ban took effect. The San Francisco law firm of Morrison & Foerster is providing pro bono legal representation to Handgun Control Inc., and its educational affiliate, the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, in bringing the lawsuit against Attorney General Lungren. ------ Handgun Control Inc., chaired by Sarah Brady, is the nation's largest citizens' gun control lobbying organization. With its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and field offices in California and other states. HCI works to enact stronger federal, state and local gun control laws, but does not seek to ban handguns. Founded in 1974, HCI has more than 400,000 members nationwide and works with local groups around the country to enact and protect reasonable gun control laws. ------ The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, also chaired by Sarah Brady, was founded in 1983 to reduce gun violence through education, legal advocacy, research and outreach to the entertainment community. CPHV's national initiatives include prevention programs for parents and youth on the risks associated with guns, legal representation for gun violence victims, work with the entertainment community to encourage deglamorization of guns in the media, and research of the risks associated with guns and the efficacy of gun control laws. More information about both HCI and CPHV can be found on the website at http://www.handguncontrol.org. -0- |
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