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Oakland Tries To Circumvent California Gun Control Rules

OAKLAND (KCBS) - A public hearing was scheduled for Friday in Oakland to discuss a proposed state law that would allow Oakland to essentially circumvent California's existing gun regulations in favor of something one city councilwoman suggested is better suited for violence-plagued Oakland.

Oakland City Councilwoman Libby Schaaf, who represents District 4, which includes Oakland's Allendale, Brookdale, Crestmont, Montclair and Oakmore neighborhoods among others, petitioned Assemblyman Rob Bonta, (D-Oakland), to draft AB 180.

"Under AB 180, the City of Oakland would be given the authority to regulate the registration of firearms and licensing of gun owners---areas which are currently pre-empted by state law. AB 180 is a smart and sensible bill that empowers Oakland and provides local control in addressing gun violence," said Bonta.

"Cities can't have their own gun licensing and registration laws, so it's a great tool for Oakland because we have a unique problem with gun violence," said Schaaf.

"This is not banning guns," she added. "This is just having tighter controls on who's owning and who's selling them and buying them," she explained. "This law would allow Oakland to actually create that type of procedure and get guns out of the hands of people who should not have them."

Oakland Looks to State Lawmaker for Tough New Gun Control Regulations

Bonta chairs a select committee on gun violence, and secured approval of the AB 180 in the Assembly's Public Safety Committee last week.

"Across our state, communities are suffering from a devastating combination of budget cuts to public safety and coinciding increases in violent crime. No one can deny that Oakland is suffering from among the worst gun violence in the state and in the nation," Bonta said in a written statement.

AB 180 now heads to the Assembly Floor for a full vote of the house, at a future date.

Bonta planned to hold a community forum on AB 180 on Friday, May 17th, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Elihu M. Harris State Building at 1515 Clay Street in Oakland.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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