State lawmakers grapple with the issue of teen violence

Tuesday, June 2, 1998 | 12:03 p.m.

Kyle Clayton Ray and Colby Allen Becker are being held in connection with the deaths of Ray's parents and his 12-year-old sister. Their bodies were found in their home Saturday night.

President Clinton last year urged states to pass gun safety-lock legislation, but none have yet - and conservatives on an interim panel studying juvenile justice in Nevada said Monday they'd oppose the idea.

However, Assemblywoman Jan Evans, head of the interim panel, said she expects there will be at least some discussion during the 1999 Legislature on the merits of trigger locks.

Evans, D-Sparks, acknowledged the political hurdles ahead, citing the lobbying success of the National Rifle Association in defeating a Washington ballot measure calling for the devices.

"In Nevada, guns are not perceived as being a part of the solution because they're not seen as part of the problem," Evans said.

As for trigger locks, she admits they're seen as an encroachment on the right to bear arms. And she says there's a limit to the locks' effectiveness.

"It may to some degree provide a safeguard, but it won't stop someone determined to use a weapon," said Evans, a longtime advocate of early-intervention efforts to reach minors before they commit violent crimes.

She added the issue may come up when the panel meets June 17 to vote on recommendations to pass on to the 1999 Legislature.

Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, called trigger locks a "Draconian gun-control measure" that do nothing to correct broader social ills.

James said lawmakers must look more toward early intervention efforts, to reach at-risk teens before violence occurs.

"People are going to have to realize we have to beef up counseling, drug treatment and other early intervention," James said. "We have to do something then, not after the crime."

Sen. Ernie Adler, D-Carson City, said he's doubtful trigger locks would stop shootings such as the Battle Mountain slayings.

Adler added he'll propose legislation mandating counseling for juveniles convicted of cruelty to animals, which he termed an indicator of more serious crimes ahead.

Assemblyman Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, challenging Adler for his Senate seat this year, said, "You have to start looking at how we can help the family. The challenge will be to find something that is halfway effective, putting responsibility back into the family unit."