Lovingood Calls to Vote "No" on Prop 63

ALL>> Advocates for a new ballot initiative, Prop 63, are promising to keep us safe – as long as we pass more gun laws. But California already has the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. Many of the same folks who push for more gun laws are also behind the state’s dangerous policies of releasing more and more criminals into our communities and reducing penalties for criminals. So their logic makes no sense: release criminals from prison and then promise to “protect” the public by passing more gun regulations like Proposition 63, the so-called "Safety for All" initiative. If gun restrictions reduced crime, California would be the safest state in the country. But it’s not. Since 2014, violent crime in California jumped 10 percent, according to the California Department of Justice. In cities with populations over 100,000, violent crime jumped 15.4 percent, in contrast to 1.3 percent in the other states. Yet the state has the strictest gun laws in the U.S. Prop 63 is the wrong medicine for what ails our state. California needs to get tough on criminals, not law-abiding gun owners. That’s why the California State Sheriff’s Association and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association oppose Prop 63. Proponents of Prop 63 would have you believe that more gun laws are a panacea for reducing crime. But criminals tend to not follow the law, including gun laws. And Prop 63 plays into the false narrative that focuses on guns, ammunition and magazines rather than the dangerous criminals. In July, Gov. Jerry Brown signed six bills into law that cover much of what’s in Prop 63. The San Jose Mercury News, which supports gun control, called on Prop 63’s lead proponent, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, to withdraw the initiative. As the Mercury News stated in an editorial, “But Newsom, who is running for governor, seems more interested in grandstanding on a hot-button issue in California than enacting good legislation.” Specifically, Prop 63 would ban possession of magazines that hold more than 10 bullets, but selling and manufacturing them is already illegal in California and the new law signed into law also bans these magazines. Under Prop 63, owners would have to sell them to a dealer, turn them over to police or take them out of state. Yet we all know that criminals won’t do that. Like the bill recently signed into law, Proposition 63 would also require most individuals to pass a background check and obtain state Department of Justice permission before buying ammunition, causing long wait times. Law enforcement officers know that the same criminals who illegally get guns will also be able to illegally get ammunition. California can do a lot to reduce crime, but Proposition 63 is not the answer. Please join me in voting “no” on Prop 63. Robert Lovingood is vice chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors representing the First District.