Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jan 2008
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2008 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: C.W. Nevius

PROLIFERATION OF GUNS BLAMED FOR EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE  IN S.F.

A lot has changed since San Francisco police Lt. John  Murphy started
working the drug and homicide beats in  the 1980s.

"In the '80s, we'd get one, two or three guns a week,"  Murphy said.
"Now it's like - who doesn't have one?"

Just about everyone, it seems. Kevin Ryan, the former  U.S. attorney
who worked on federal law enforcement for  the Bush administration,
recently joined the staff of  San Francisco Gavin Newsom as director
of the Office of  Criminal Justice. He says the sheer numbers are
shocking.

"There are 60,000 handguns in San Francisco," Ryan  said. "And 2,400
assault rifles. There are a lot of  guns out there."

You're reading that right. SIXTY THOUSAND guns in a  population of
less than 745,000 in a geographical area  of 49 square miles. That's a
gun in every five  households, or one for every 12th man, woman or
child.

And Ryan says confrontations are going nuclear almost  immediately.
"Instead of a fistfight, a dispute is  elevated to a shooting at the
drop of a hat."

You can pick your example, but for a clear case of  mindless,
senseless gunplay, it is hard to beat the  incident at the downtown
Metreon shopping mall in  November, when a 15-year-old boy shot an
18-year-old  three times after an argument over moving too slowly on
the escalator. The victim was pronounced dead at San  Francisco
General Hospital 30 minutes later.

"It's sad," says Murphy. "He's 15 years old. How could  you be that
mad at that age?"

And what was a 15-year-old boy doing with a gun? Where  do these guns
come from?

Most San Franciscans might initially conclude that the  city needs
stronger gun laws. But Dr. Garen Wintemute,  director of UC Davis'
Violence Prevention Research  Program, says, "In San Francisco, it is
actually very  difficult to legally buy a handgun."

But it's a different story outside city limits. Guns  are flooding
into town from out-of-state gun shows,  like the one next month in
Reno, where background  checks and waiting periods are not required.
Another  common tactic is a "straw purchase," where someone  without a
criminal record legally buys weapons and then  resells them for cash.
Murphy says one individual  bought 62 guns in one year.

"We have numerous cases," said San Francisco District  Attorney Kamala
Harris, "where someone buys legally,  then drives a truck or SUV into
the Bayview  neighborhood, opens up the trunk and has a fire sale."

One thing is certain: Gun violence has local residents  calling for
action. After posting the highest homicide  total in 12 years in 2007
(89), 2008 got off to a  gruesome start with six deaths in the first
two weeks -  including a 19-year-old who was shot in the heart while
sitting on porch steps chatting with his girlfriend.

"It's tragic and a source of frustration to everybody,"  said Harris.
"They're people, human beings, and they've  got lives."

Guns are also political dynamite. Newsom hired  heavy-hitter Ryan to
address persistent questions about  the climbing homicide rate, and
Harris made gun  violence a centerpiece of her inaugural speech Jan.
8.  And some don't want to touch it. Newly confirmed  Northern
California U.S. Attorney Joe Russoniello, who  started work Jan. 7,
was "not available" for a comment  on the topic. His spokesman Josh
Eaton said, "We  recognize that this is an important issue.
Accordingly,  we will continue to work closely with federal and local
authorities to address the problem."

So are there any suggestions? Actually there are,  although the
solution begins by understanding the  motivation of the shooters.

"Since the mid-'80s," says Wintemute, "the illicit drug  trade has
armed itself with progressively more lethal  weapons. If you live in
that environment, you'd be  foolish not to carry a gun. It's essential
business  equipment these days."

You might have guessed that. But what you might not  know is that a
very small number of shooters are  causing a large number of the
incidents. SFPD's Murphy  says at one point his group was able to
identify and  remove 12 bad actors from a neighborhood and "we didn't
have a shooting for seven months."

Wintemute says that approach is a big part of the  "Boston Miracle," a
gun violence program that  dramatically reduced homicides in that city
in the  '90s.

"They called in the gang leadership," Wintemute said,  "and they told
them, 'We know who you are, and we know  most of you are on probation.
If you don't knock it  off, you're going to see probation enforcement
like  you've never seen before.' "

Wintemute says the Boston police concentrated on  nailing the slow
learners who ignored the warnings,  even if it was for jaywalking, to
get them out of the  area. The results were dramatic. (Unfortunately,
Boston's homicide rate has climbed again after funding  cuts and
staffing problems.)

Still, it's an idea. In the coming weeks, everyone from  Harris and
Ryan to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,  Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives
is promising dramatic  new initiatives. They've gotten the memo. This
is a  topic that has the city's attention.

"It is a perception of safety and violence," said Ryan.  "Do the
citizens of San Francisco feel safe? I think  there is a lot of
anxiety out there."

Who knows, in a week or so, maybe even U.S. Attorney  Russoniello will
chime in.
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