"Responsible Gun Ownership" Petition gathers over 500 EDC supporters

Cris:
Would you please print my opinion piece asking the Sheriff's to consider "Responsible Gun Ownership" through background checks and tracing guns in a crime.

I had collected 500 signatures from EDC residents and handed him the petition on March 7th.  As usual, the MD piece didn't even mention it.  I know you have always been fair about discussions on both sides.

Pat Snelling.

I was troubled by our El Dorado County Sheriff’s protest letter to Vice President Biden, so I decided to look at what these documents actually said.

The President’s Executive Orders are no different than what the State of California’s current orders: trace guns collected in a crime (Executive Order #9) and collect local data for background checks (#2).  Those are the only ones that ask for something “from” the Sheriff.

The other orders are intend to provide tools to help him do his job: review categories of those who should be prohibited from guns (#4); direct the Department of Justice to add support our local law enforcement (#10); and maximize local enforcement (#13).

Sheriff John D'Agonstini admitted at the March 7th meeting that there was nothing in the 23 Executive Orders that would call for him to violate the Second Amendment.

I am not a gun owner, but three of my son are gun owners, and they have no problem with these Executive Orders. 

I have a lot of respect for the sheriff and his people, but blocking any effort to get guns out of the hands of criminals can only make his job that much more difficult.

I decided to collect signatures for a petition asking the sheriff to:
-- Trace guns confiscated in a crime. (He's doing that now at the state level)
-- Provide needed information for background checks. (He's doing this also at the state level.)

D'Agonstini said that he didn't want to work with the Feds on this.

I question his decision on this after going over the testimony of the two ATF Agents who testified at Darrell Issa's Congressional Hearing on "Fast & Furious." 

The agents said the major problem they had with stopping the “gun-walking” (their term) was caused by states not talking to each other and not sharing information. 

A good example of this is the Beltway Sniper back in 2002, who committed a crime in Washington State, bought a gun in New Jersey, fired shots in Alabama with that gun, and killed 11 people in Virginia with the same gun.  States were blocked from sharing anything and the ATF’s hand were tied with 2006 legislation blocking them from collecting data.

Police officers walked right past the sniper’s car on two separate occasions as it sat near the shootings.  The officers didn’t have Alabama’s or New Jersey’s information. The ATF agents said if they could have shared this information, law officials might have been able to save the woman at the Shell gas station or the 72-year-old man walking down the street.

I’m not alone in our call for the Sheriff to get these illegal guns and gun owners off the street.

I collect 500 signatures for my petition from people who live and work in El Dorado County asking D’Agonstini to work with the federal government on “Responsible Gun Ownership.”  Even after I handed my petition to the Sheriff with numerous comments a week ago, I still have people coming up to me asking me if they can add their names. 

I can only hope the sheriff hears our voices as well as he hears the others who are his political friends.