Sen. Boxer calls for tougher federal gun laws in wake of Arizona shooting

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called for tougher federal gun laws, including banning large ammunition clips and federal regulations on concealed weapons permits, in the wake of the shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) gravely wounded.

Boxer, appearing at a press conference in Riverside, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation also should keep track of seriously mentally ill people with a history of violence to ensure they cannot secure gun permits. The accused Arizona gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, had a history of odd mental behavior and was prone to incoherent rants, authorities and acquaintances said.

"I believe we should look at sensible gun laws again. The kind of gun laws we have here in California that give people their gun ownership rights while also preventing the sale of guns to criminals, to people with serious mental illness and people who may abuse a spouse or partner,'' said Boxer, who traveled to Riverside from her home in Rancho Mirage.

"Now I'm not saying that these sensible gun laws would have stopped this killer, but I do know this: It should not be easy for a killer to obtain a weapon that could kill or wound 20 people in just a few heartbeats, and stop those heartbeats,'' Boxer said.

Boxer said Congress should consider reinstating the federal assault weapons ban which expired in 2004. The law banned ammunition clips that hold more than 10 bullets. Boxer said she will support a proposal by Democratic New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg to ban high-capacity clips such as the 33-round clip that authorities said was attached to Loughner's semiautomatic handgun.

The senator also wants to federalize California's laws on concealed weapons permits, which require approval from local sheriff's or police chiefs and require applicants to explain why the weapons permit is necessary. States that fail to adopt those restrictions should lose federal funding for criminal justice programs, she said.

During the morning news conference, Boxer also called on Congress, the media and the nation as a whole to temper the caustic political rhetoric that's consumed most of the country. As an example, she held up a mock "Liberal Hunting License" that recently was sold on a right-leaning website that showed a donkey –- the symbol of the Democratic party –- with five bullet holes in its torso.

Boxer called on members of Congress from all parties to meet on a more regular basis to help end the partisan rancor. She said that the women in the Senate already do so, with great success.

"We need to rethink what we're saying and the emotions that we may be evoking,'' Boxer said.

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-- Phil Willon in Riverside

Comments

[Tom]

Gratefully, none of her proposals will get through the House for (at least) the next two years!

[West Valley Dave]

You can make a law to ban all guns for everyone. But criminals and lunatics are still going to be able to get them. Gun laws don't work.

I don't care what laws are enacted... someone out there will break it.

[Bill Caloia]

We need Boxer control, not gun control. She is the real maniac.

[Marcos El Malo]

I hope we don't end up giving away more civil liberties in the heat of the moment. The Federal government really should not be trying to regulate firearms. It should be up to state and local governments. Regulating large ammunition clips *might* be a good idea, but federal regulation is a short cut we cannot afford to take. Leave this up to the states. A patchwork of regulation is an inconvenience we must put up with if we are to follow the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

[reelman]

And just think we (Californians) idiots voted this waste of space back into office...nothing she is saying would have stopped this man from doing what he did. Make it more difficult to have a concealed weapons permit...yea that’s going to work it is impossible to get a carry permit here in the San Diego area...well unless you’re a gangbanger then you carry all the time.....stupidity runs rampant here in sunny California!

[Captain Howdy]

Wait. It is one thing to say that certain individuals should not own guns. It is completely different to institute the laws of Cali. I have lived in Cali, and if my house is being robbed I must assume that the perp is not armed and get out of the house. In fact I can go ti jail if I use deadly force to protect my family and property. Also, if you are driving in Cali, your gone is to be in a locked boax and the ammo needs to be in the trunk. This is great for those times when you are being carjacked by an armed person.
I live in AZ now and own a gun. My family and I have taken cources in the use of fire arms and the children have been taught the right and wrong of gun safety.
I will use my gun to protect my family and my property. End of story.

[Joe]

Just like the Libitard idiot to want to infringe on all American's 2nd ammendment rights! The Arizona shooting was terrable and America mourns the loss along with the families, but the total restriction on some one is not the answer. Liberals always want to tell everyone else how to live and what to do while they do exactally what they tell others not to do. Open your eyes to reality libitards!

[Sean Chen]

More gun laws = unarmed citizens FOR armed criminals

She is NOT working to make US safer... she's working to make things easier for the criminals.

More gun laws that disarm and make honest citizens helpless?

The criminals don't follow the law, therefore will not give up their guns, and will continue to have guns.

Funny how in California, the average person cannot get a permit to carry a gun.

Politicians and their cronies are exempt and somehow "more equal" than the rest of us even though they get security paid by taxpayers and have more money to live in nicer, safer neighborhoods.

Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. are all cities that don't allow their citizens to carry guns.

So only the gangs, rapists, and other criminals will have guns on them.

Along with the politicians and their rich, well-connected friends.

How is it that both Boxer & Feinstein are anti-gun... yet have both had concealed carry permits that most of the average citizens in California can't get?

[Sean Chen]

Dear Senator Boxer,

Please do not wait any longer to capitalize on this horrible tragedy. Use it to your fullest advantage to further your agenda to make the state safer for the criminals who will obviously not give up THEIR guns...

only the law abiding will be left helpless as usual.

Have YOU ever called 911 and gotten a busy signal?

Would YOU bet the lives of your loved ones to a person answering your call and getting the information to another person in a car so they can DRIVE to your location (if they can find it), and then hopefully save you in time.

When seconds count... the police are only minutes away... at best.

[NRA4ever]

There's a surprize! She's another liberal that knows nothing about firearms and how they work. The problem with gun control fanatics is they have no understanding of firearms, so they're afraid of them. If they were to get educated on them, they might start looking for more commonsense solutions to crimes involving guns like enforcing the laws that are already in place to deal with these issues. Intead of punishing guns for these crimes, try punishing the individual that uses the gun. It's like banning airplanes to keep people safe from hijackers.

[ergie]

All these anti-gun politicians have no clue about the facts. Law abiding citizens should be able to get a concealed weapons permit, California should be made a "Shall Isssue" state like many others are, so that if you qualify (no mental illness, no convictions etc.) then you shall be issued a permit. Im not saying make it easy, require a 40 hour class, about law and liability etc. Most people in Calif. still think its legal to shoot a burglar, when its NOT, California does not have a "Castle Doctrine" or "stand your ground" law, google it. that means if your home is invaded your are required by law to flee your home rather than confront an intruder. That needs to change, California needs Castle Doctrine and stand your ground laws NOW so we can protect our families and property as law abiding citizens. Look at the real statistics, states that are "Shall Issue" for concealed weapons permits have significantly less personal crime than states like California which make it nearly impossible to get a permit.

[Ray]

How bout, double, triple checking out wackos before they can buy a gun.

[joel schlossman]

Sen. Boxer has round the clock armed protection... how can she relate to others?

[dd maguire]

Leave it to Ca to want to put more restrictions on legal gunownership. Why doesn't MISS boxer just crawl in a dark hole.

[Chillipepper]

This is what I call the pot calling the kettle black. Isn't this a inflammatory vibe that has no facts backing rhetoric! This is what the Democrats are good for. Pick an opportunity to claim and slur any opposition without any facts backing up their claim.

Gun Control... another waste of time. We have gone through this many times before. All Boxer knows is wasting time and taxpayer money by bringing up emotional issues without any solutions and facts.

Even if you have Gun Control you can never prevent this from happening if everyone involved ignore the sign and does not know what to do him him. It is the law, the country, the government at fault. Basically with all the liability, political correctness, etc.. we are loss as to how to deal with nuts even though we can identify them and see the potential danger.. THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

[thecanimalsHusband]

Only politicians, celebrities and bank executives should be allowed firearms.

[u know]

How about banning mentally unstable people instead. That way no mentally unstable people would be able to have access to other people and thus have the ability to kill them.

[John]

So the liberals' knee-jerk reaction is again to limit the rights of Americans because someone committed a crime. Here we go again.

I appreciate Boxer's largesse in wanting to "give" us the right to gun ownership. That's a right recognized and guaranteed by the US Constitution, not a privilege, like driving, that the government can selectively award or remove. I guess she wasn't around when they read the US Constitution in Congress last week. It probably would have bored her.

The issues that led to the tragic events in Tucson have nothing to do with gun ownership. It has everything to do with our rapidly deteriorating culture.

[Joe]

This is so ridiculous, As a CCW holder and a Gun owner, I believe that restricting people from the Second Amendment and making CCW holders a Federal law is wrong. What happen to the land of the free in America? It is not going to help in any way from the Scum of the Earth to have access to weapons, The ones that are lawful citizens and carry are up holding the law to the fullest are helping to keep our communities safe. If these Law Makers would wake up and their facts straight, A CCW holder has never commited an act of such chaos, But i gurantee that if a CCW holder was in the Crowd during the Arizona shooting that it would have been handled and ended the threat quickly to save the lives of the innocent.

[Jeff Morelock]

As a former homicide detective and SWAT team leader I have studied and trained for these types of "active shooter" incidents.

Banning high-capacity magazines will do noting to stop these types of incidents. Most active shooters will simply bring more than one gun.

There is a well know saying in the shooting world, "The fastest reload is another gun." The shooters at Columbine, the shooter at the CA McDonald's and at Virginia Tech, and a few other all had more than one gun.

Banning high capacity magazines will do NOTHING but prevent law abiding citizens who have concealed weapons permits from fighting on a level playing field.

People that know nothing about guns, crime, and life in the real world should not be passing laws that will get more innocent people killed.

This is not 1950s Mayberry USA anymore.

[TheRandyGuy]

Here we go again. This dwarf is proposing, as they always do, "sensible" gun control legislation while admitting that the proposed legislation wouldn't have stopped what happened. Bring back the "Assault Weapons Ban"? Why? He used a pistol, not a rifle. This is the left pushing an agenda that will have no effect on public safety. Barbara: You will never get my weapons.

[mike rollins]

we can not even enforce the laws we already have.

[Tina Weeks]

What part of JOBS & ECONOMY does Sen. Boxer not understand? FOCUS SENATOR, California has major issues, the US has major issues, Help us

[Sean Chen]

Yes Senator!

Please continue to support the criminals by disarming the law abiding victims.

Although you are anti-gun, YOU will no doubt continue to enjoy a concealed carry permit and armed guards paid for by taxpayer money to protect YOUR life.

Because YOUR life is worth more than those of lesser individuals like non-politicians.

[Robert Pike]

So Boxer is advocating for yet another violation of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Voters should be alarmed by this advocacy especially in light of the several U.S. District and Supreme Court decision that individuals in the United States have no Constitutional right to police protection.

•Hartzler v. City of San Jose, 46 Cal. App. 3d 6 (1st Dist. 1975).
•Riss v. New York, 240 N.E.2d 860 (N.Y. 1968)
•Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. Ct. of Ap., 1981).
•DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (109 S.Ct. 998, 1989).
•Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 US 748 - 2005

Annually Boxers and other members of Congress repeatly vote to fund the Army, Air force, Coast and Natural Guards in direct conflict of their powers to do so under Article 1: Section 8: Clauses 12 and 13, of the Constitution. They continue to fund the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq absent a declaration of war.

Time to vote out all Democrats and Republicans whose votes on these issues are helping to bankrupt these United States. If the above referenced Article was followed by Congress annual defense spending would plummet from nearly $1.2 trillion down to $179 billion, resulting in a balanced budget and a near term surplus like the nation had in 2000 when annual defense spending was about $300 billion.