Plan promotes gun safety in LV

Erin Neff

Monday, May 15, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

With a million mothers as well as presidential candidates decrying gun violence and again bringing gun control to a national debate, it was only a matter of time before a local politician seized the issue.

Las Vegas City Councilman Michael Mack is proposing a resolution to encourage gun safety and responsible gun ownership. The proposal -- which goes before the council Wednesday -- mandates nothing and is seen by some as political gamesmanship.

Mack, a gun owner, parent and one-time owner of the state's largest gun store, sees his proposal as a real effort to increase awareness and change attitudes.

"People aren't as responsible with the way they keep their guns anymore," Mack said. "I don't believe parents today are as responsible. Hopefully it's going to inspire people to think about the safety of the firearms they own."

The resolution "strongly encourage(s) manufacturers, sellers and distributors of firearms to supply the recipient of every firearm sold, traded or acquired by other means, with education opportunities on responsible gun ownership and a gun safety lock."

Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the leading Republican presidential hopeful, announced Friday his state would distribute free gun locks. President Clinton again called on firearms manufacturers to develop so-called "smart guns." And Vice President Al Gore, the likely Democratic presidential candidate, distanced himself from past votes he made benefitting the National Rifle Association's stance.

Unlike Bush's proposal in Texas, Mack's resolution doesn't offer free locks from the city government. The city does have about 200 such locks to distribute, but once they are gone, the effort to hand out locks will be left up to gun shop owners.

"You can't tell a dealer or a pro-gunner what to do," said Ron Montoya, owner of American Shooters Supply and Gun Club in Las Vegas. "It ain't going to happen. Who's providing (the locks) and is it going to raise the cost to customers?"

Montoya said that while he believes Mack's intent is good, he is going about the issue the wrong way.

Even taking the stance that appears least offensive on the surface often rekindles fears that the government will eventually revoke citizens' rights to bear arms, he said.

Mack was moved by Clinton's speech on gun violence to the National League of Cities during a conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

"I came back and started looking at ways to address this problem," Mack said. "We came up with what we think is the best way.

"We're not requiring it," he added. "We're not mandating it, and it's not really government intervention. This has nothing to do with gun control."

Mack has support for his resolution from a broad spectrum of politicians, including Gov. Kenny Guinn, Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera and Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The locks the city will distribute are a cable-style system similar to a bicycle lock. The lock slides through the barrel or cylinder of a revolver, or through the ejection port in shotguns, rifles and semiautomatic pistols. Once locked, a key is required to unlock the weapon.

Commander Mike Murphy of the city's Detention and Enforcement department, likens Mack's resolution to the issue of seat belts.

Although seat belts are now commonly used and attributed to savings lives, they once were viewed as an inconvenient, if not expensive, add-on to a car's sticker price.

"No one refers to seat belts as seat belt control," Murphy said. "I think the resolution is clearly the best way of looking at it."

Murphy, the former police chief in Mesquite, said he thinks voluntary compliance is "always going to be higher than requiring something."

And he said, gun locks -- which retail for $6 to $10 apiece -- are an inexpensive alternative to safes or other gun safety devices.

"We're trying to promote safety on the front end, where it's cheaper," Mack said.

Mack said his office explored creating a gun buyback program, but worried such an offer could promote theft of legal firearms. Mack also said he has no intention of proposing that Las Vegas join a class-action suit other U.S. cities have filed against gun manufacturers to recoup money spent on gun violence.

"This has nothing to do with gun control," Mack said. "When it becomes a gun control issue, it becomes too partisan."

That's precisely why downtown resident Harold Thompson doesn't like the resolution.

"It doesn't really do anything except show that the councilman is using a popular cause to benefit himself politically," said Thompson, adding that he thinks the resolution may have something to do with Mack's switch of parties last year from Republican to Democrat.

Mack, a father of two and owner of pawnshops that do not resell firearms, reiterated that his resolution is not politically motivated.

"If one life's saved (by) this resolution, it's a winner," Mack said. "If one life's saved, it'd be a huge success."

Erin Neff covers Las Vegas government for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-4062 or 229-6436, or by e-mail at erin@lasvegassun.com.