Pro-Gun Group’s Newsletter Is Denounced as Racist

SACRAMENTO —  A pro-gun group’s newsletter promoting appearances by two state lawmakers contains an article suggesting that a new law banning military-style assault weapons be renamed “The Homeboy Control Act of ’99.”

An aide to Sen. Don Perata (D-Alameda), whose legislation restricts semiautomatic assault weapons, denounced the article in the November edition of the California Rifle and Pistol Assn. publication as “pretty blatantly racist.”

“The editors shouldn’t have published this thing, and they shouldn’t have published it in an edition where they publicize an event that two members of the state Legislature are attending,” Perata spokesman Mark Capitolo said Friday.

Assemblyman Dean Florez (D-Shafter), who opposed Perata’s bill and is a featured guest at the organization’s February convention in Anaheim, said he intends to tell the gathering that such writings could “alienate the Latino population.”

“When I do speak to the group, I’m going to make sure they know they’re only hurting their own cause,” Florez said after learning of the article Friday.

In the article in The Firing Line, the writer says “law-abiding Anglo gun owners” anticipate that Perata and Gov. Gray Davis will rename the law “to properly credit and recognize all Hispanic and black gangbangers (dead, alive and imprisoned) who made the passage of this legislation possible.”

The article also says police, prison guards and prison builders “express their thanks to the Homeboys (and Homegirls) who have made full employment possible.”

“Even though gun homicides have dropped dramatically during the past few years,” the article concludes, “Hispanic and black gangbangers can still be counted on to produce the overwhelming majority of gun homicides, which will provide politicians with the excuse that there’s a ‘gun problem’ in California. Viva La Raza.”

The article cites state Department of Justice statistics showing an ethnic breakdown of homicides in which firearms were used. The statistics show that while Latinos and blacks committed more homicides using firearms than whites in 1994-1997, such homicides by blacks declined 41% during that period, while gun-related homicides by whites declined 33%, and those by Latinos fell 29%.

The California Rifle and Pistol Assn. spokesman did not return phone calls.

The group is among the most active pro-gun lobby organizations in Sacramento. The February banquet and “Quick draw sweepstakes” commemorate its 71st anniversary.

Sen. Charles Poochigian (R-Fresno), also to attend the convention, said he was invited because he has pushed to increase public access to state-owned wild land.

“While I’m quite comfortable with my position with regard to public property rights, I am not comfortable associating myself with the remarks that you read to me,” Poochigian said when told of the article.

“There’s a lot of demagoguery associated with a lot of the gun bills we’ve seen,” Poochigian added. “All sides need to be restrained and prudent in the way they couch issues.”