A Closer Look -- A law full
Deepa Bharath
New laws are as much a part of the new year as champagne and
resolutions.
Those that went into effect as of Jan. 1, 2002, span a gamut of issues
ranging from laws that require tailors, hair salons and dry cleaners to
post their prices to another that makes it a misdemeanor to sell o7
bidisf7 , or candy-flavored cigarettes, in stores that allow access to
minors.
One other law requires minimum wage increases for sheepherders and
mandates improvements in their working conditions including meal and rest
breaks when feasible.
And, of course, there are some laws that get more attention and are
more controversial than others.
TRIGGER LOCKS LAW ‘A MAJOR MESS’
One of those laws is the legislation that requires that all firearms
made or sold in California come with a state-approved trigger lock. Gov.
Gray Davis signed this bill, aimed at reducing the number of accidental
shootings, in 1999, but the law went into effect Tuesday.
Randy Garell, owner of The Grant Boys, a Costa Mesa store that sells
guns, camping and fishing equipment and gear, calls the new law “a major
mess.”
The legislation makes retailers responsible for procuring trigger
locks that are approved and certified by the State Department of Justice.
That is not easily done, Garell says.
“One lock does not fit all guns,” he said. “The Department of Justice
now has a list of certified locks that is 360 pages long. And that list
only covers about 60% of the guns we have in our store.”
Garell said he is for gun safety and that he understands the good
intentions behind the new legislation, but says it is a law that reeks of
poor planning and execution.
“It places the onus on the retailer instead of the gun manufacturers,
which does not make any sense,” he said. “I had a customer the other day
who placed a special order for a gun, but is deciding now if he can wait
several days till a lock is manufactured for the gun.”
Long guns may be exempt from the law in February, but until then,
Garell says he cannot sell those guns.
“It’s a law that’s going to drive a lot of the small dealers out of
business,” he said.
The timing of the law is also the worst possible, Garell said.
“December is our busiest time,” he said. “And we need time to prepare
for this, decide what guns we can have in our store. We can’t do that
overnight. It takes a lot of time. This has simply been a bureaucratic
nightmare.”
The law is enforced not by the local police departments but by
Department of Justice officials, he said.
NO LANGUAGE BARS
Other laws may affect different segments of the population to varying
degrees, but do not seem as controversial.
A new law requires bar employers to hire non-English speaking
employees unless they can justify that the English-only policy is a
business necessity.
Howard Norris, owner of The Stag Bar in Newport Beach, said he does
not have a problem with the law.
“It would be a problem, though, if the bartender does not understand
the order because I primarily have English-speaking customers,” he said.
Bill Hamilton, who employs about 25 people in his Malarky’s Irish Pub,
said the law would not affect him.
“I already employ non-English speaking people,” he said. “It’s worked
out fine so far.”
BRING OUT THE SUN GEAR
Another law requires that schools allow students to wear
sun-protective clothing when and where necessary. School officials could,
however, ban gang clothing or any other clothes that they deem
inappropriate on campus.
Does the law change anything in local schools?
Newport-Mesa Unified School District Superintendent Robert Barbot says
“not really.” That is because Newport-Mesa already allows students to
wear hats and sun gear when necessary, he said.
“You have to use logic and common sense when you interpret these
laws,” Barbot said. “We allow students who are either sensitive to the
sun or whose eyes are sensitive to wear protective gear.”
But hats are usually not allowed inside the classroom because students
could use them to hit each other with them, he said.
“A lot depends on each school and its principal,” he said. “But we
have no hard and fast rules unless the clothing is inappropriate or
distracting.”
* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at
(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .
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