Residents share thoughts on how to reduce gun violence

The recent gun violence and mass shootings – including in Uvalde, Texas where an 18-year-old is accused of shooting and killing 19 elementary school students and two teachers – have triggered public outrage, marches, and renewed calls for broad legislative action.Weighing in on the recent spate of national gun violence, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52), whose congressional district includes San Diego beaches, voted to pass the Protecting Our Kids Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. The Protecting Our Kids Act builds on the House of Representatives’ twice-passed legislation advancing universal background checks for all gun purchases, an action that is supported by nearly nine out of 10 Americans.“It’s painful to recognize that the loss of countless innocent lives over decades led us here today,” said Peters. “Passing these bills to prevent more gun violence reflects the will of the American people. Now, we will continue fighting to get additional life-saving legislation over the finish line. I will not rest until the job is done.”Added Peters, “The House also passed the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act permitting law enforcement officers, family, and household members of a person who poses a threat to themselves or others to request that a federal court issue an extreme risk protection order to prohibit an individual from purchasing or possessing a firearm.“The bill protects the right to lawfully possess a gun by requiring high standards of proof, an opportunity to be heard in court, the right to counsel, and penalties for those who file frivolous petitions. The legislation also encourages more states to adopt these red flag laws and requires law enforcement to be trained in the use of extreme risk protection orders.”Residents in La Jolla and Pacific Beach addressed recent gun violence, what they believe causes it, and what could and should be done about it.“Social media is driving some of this violence,” said Bill Zent of Pacific Beach noting, “Kids have cell phones and use them all day on social media. The age for social media should be 18 and require verification.”Added Zent: “What we can do (about gun violence) is hold parents responsible. If the child obtains a weapon from the home and uses it, they should be charged with murder – no exceptions. And it should be a federal charge so it’s level across the country. Another problem we have is in situations like the district attorney in Los Angeles turning people back on the street is dangerous. The courts and system must take a tougher stand.”Landscape architect Jim Neri, who works both in La Jolla and PB, had an interesting suggestion.“One idea would be for California to hold a gun buy-back drive as they did in Australia,” said Neri. “It will likely trigger more guns being bought in other states, but we need to lead by example. The state is flush with cash right now, so let’s show the world that California cares.”La Jollan Melinda Merryweather believes assault weapons should be severely curtailed. “I am part of the common-sense party and you can not protect any space from an AR-15,” she said. “They are for wars. Any hunter will tell you you can not eat a dear that has been shot with an AR-15. They should be illegal and you should have to be 21 to buy one and have to wait one year.”Larry Emlaw of PB was thankful for the opportunity to vent about gun violence. “Guns today are simply too efficient at killing, and much too easy to procure,” he said.” Laws need to change to account for this ramp-up in ‘efficient kill’ technology.”Emlaw doesn’t have a problem with “someone who feels the need to own a handgun for protection.” But he asked, “Do they need a 17-round magazine or an AR-style weapon? There is absolutely no reason for the general public to have access to anything this high on the ‘efficient kill’ totem pole.  These are military weapons. And just as we don’t allow any yahoo to keep a surface-to-air-missile system in their garage, neither should we allow these other killing machines. They are all mass kill weapons – not what our Constitutional framers were contemplating when they added the Second Amendment.”Concluded Emlaw: “Sadly, our gun (non) policy is a reflection of our collective consciousness as a nation, just as our elections are. But everything and everyone is evolving, and gun law change is inevitable. It must happen. Background checks I feel are a no-brainer… with muscle… and no loopholes. That would be a great help now, but not the full solution.”La Jollan Barry Jagoda cited the Gun Violence Archive, which counts 8,000-plus gun deaths in the country in the first half of 2022 alone.“Perhaps the steady stream of death will eventually open up new understandings of our own history because many Americans keep living out a 150-year-old dream that, no matter what it is that frightens or enrages us in our complex, chaotic, and the often unsettling world – guns are the answer,” Jagoda said. “Many of us walk around with an image of our country in our heads that we believe comes from history, when in fact it comes from marketing and mythology. It’s that marketing and mythology that keeps us saturated with weaponry, and which needs to be rejected before we can make any enduring change.”Ann Dynes of La Jolla noted she is “a gun owner for self-protection.” But she pointed out she does not understand “why there cannot be strong regulation of assault weapons and firearms which go well beyond the need for self-protection. If someone wants to get the presumed high of firing such devices, why not require them to rent them at a range?”PROTECTING OUR KIDS ACT INCLUDESThe Raise the Age Act to raise the purchasing age for most semi-automatic weapons to 21 years old. Currently, someone could buy a semi-automatic rifle at just 18 years old – yet you must be 21 to buy a handgun.The Prevent Gun Trafficking Act to crack down on gun trafficking and straw purchases to keep illegal guns off the streets.The Untraceable Firearms Act outlaws ghost guns and ensures that all firearms are traceable.The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act to close the bump stock loophole, banning these deadly tools from civilian use.The Keep Americans Safe Act to outlaw new high-capacity magazines, which have been the accessory of choice in the bloodiest mass shootings.Strengthening safe storage requirements to protect children from accidental shootings.Requiring an annual report of demographic data of those determined ineligible to purchase guns. The post Residents share thoughts on how to reduce gun violence appeared first on SDNews.com.

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Be in the know about the Jewel with La Jolla Insiders

Care to be an “insider” in La Jolla? Now you can courtesy of Ron Jones and Michael Mazaika.The business duo has created a new website, lajollainsiders.com, to “pull back the curtain” to reveal noteworthy businesses and individuals, as well as to shed light on things to do, hot spots, and issues of the day in the beach community.“La Jolla Insiders are locals, not paid agents living elsewhere, who proudly share the deep knowledge of everything that La Jolla has to offer as only a team of long-time La Jollans can,” states their website. “In addition to knowing where to go and what to see, we’re able to share a deeper understanding of La Jolla’s history and traditions, helping you to add a deeper meaning to your La Jolla experience.”La Jolla Insider’s first two online productions were a segment on La Jolla street vendors, and another on La Jolla-born and bred movie actor Gregory Peck, whose father owned a pharmacy in the community’s early days.Longtime radio host, MC and the “voice of La Jolla,” a title coined by La Jolla Congressman, then-City Councilman Scott Peters, Jones said their relatively new online business venture is “already getting lots of views and hits. At this point, we’re really pleased. We know we’re on the right track.”A La Jollan for 40-plus years, Jones lays claim to a more than 50-year entertainment career beginning with the American Forces Radio Service in 1968. After returning stateside, he began lengthy stints in radio and television studios nationally and internationally. Along with that, he has made featured appearances on film sets and theater stages here and abroad while adding 19 years of spinning discs in San Diego dance clubs.Mazaika, a La Jollan for 27 years, started as an aerospace engineer, with a minor in hypersonic aerodynamics, and thus became involved with the design of rockets and space systems with both North American Aviation (now Rockwell Int’l.) and Space Technology Labs (now TRW). Since retiring, he currently serves on the boards of four companies, primarily startups; has served on the board of the Fleet Science Center, and still serves on its programs committee.Jones, who emceed and co-produced the popular, recently revived La Jolla Concerts by the Sea series, and who serves as La Jolla Town Council’s communications director, talked about why they started their new online enterprise. “I just saw the future and thought I’d plug in,” quipped Jones. “We wanted to create something La Jolla-centric with interesting subject matter interviewing people.“La Jolla is a destination for the world. This is where people vacation. And I realized, we (La Jolla) had nothing that really speaks about the best hotels, best breakfast places or restaurants, what to do and see, or that talks about the history of La Jolla. We wanted to create a combination of all these things to inform people of what we’ve got here. We’re giving you a local’s view about La Jolla.”Pointing out he and Mazaika are “taking it to the next level with the insider,” Jones noted they’ve recently produced four more 20-minute videos “going behind the scenes with stories about the people of La Jolla.” One segment, Jones noted, involves the popular Belgian restaurant Girard Gourmet. Another regards the back story of family-run Harry’s Coffee Shop on Girard Avenue.Jones added there are several other “legacy” businesses to be profiled in the beach community like Meanley & Son Hardware, and Warwicks Bookstore.La Jolla Insider segments, said Jones, are not “cell phone or background narration,” but rather “a real production” exploring recently redeveloped hotels in the Village like the Cormorant and Hotel La Jolla. “They (hotels) deserve quality representation,” said Jones adding the idea is for the insider to “broaden our scope,” and not “air the community’s dirty laundry.”Asked about La Jolla Insider’s next project, Jones said that might involve looking into day trips with La Jolla serving as “the launching pad,” hopefully enticing visitors “to come back, spend time and have some fun. The insider is the best for that.” The post Be in the know about the Jewel with La Jolla Insiders appeared first on SDNews.com.

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Camp counselor: ‘There are things you learn by playing the sport’

“It’s nice to step back and help the younger kids,” said Gaby Javier, a varsity volleyball player at Country Day. Javier, teammate Samantha Grabb, and other players were running elementary school girls through a scrimmage in the LJCDS gym.For Javier, 16, the four-day summer camp was a relaxing break from school and club workouts. Yet it still was related to her main sport as a Torrey and kept her in touch with the game.“There are things you only learn by playing the sport,” the rising junior said, explaining how her “insider’s knowledge” helps her too, in turn, help the young campers. Another thing affecting how she assists as a camp counselor is her own coaches: “We have coaches who are influences,” she shared. “Not everyone learns the same way. Sometimes something clicks when a certain coach works with you.”At the private school, Jennifer Turner is overseeing summer camps, not just in sports, but in cooking, Spanish, rock climbing, keyboarding, “fashionistas,” art, robotics, and many more. On the Lower School quad, students from first through fourth grade were measuring out ingredients and opening containers to prepare some scrumptious peach bread pudding (which this reporter sampled), all the while practicing math skills, working together, and following directions under someone who is not a relative, putting a little twist on the kitchen competency scale.“Before COVID,” said Turner, “we had many international families who were going to spend the summer in San Diego, and enrolled their kids in summer camp. That has been dampened due to COVID, but we still have families doing so.”The camp director, who emphasized the academics/extra-curricular connection, cited the school’s Global Youth Leadership program for grades 5-8, which connects students around the world to discuss timely issues appropriately for the age level.Tiggy, 8, with camp counselor Gaby Javier, 16, a rising junior on LJCDS’s volleyball team, at Torreys summer camp. PHOTO BY ED PIPERGrabb, Javier’s taller teammate who plays opposite hitter at the net on the right side as a lefty, said, “We try to emphasize camaraderie and teamwork in the camp. We have skill levels, so with some girls, it’s more finesse (shaping their volleyball skills). For others, it’s a way to introduce them to the game.”Assistant coach Allan Jeffrey oversaw the two scrimmages in the gym, as in one group some girls wore tutus in a sort of dress-up day on the last day of camp. Everyone had a good laugh, and the campers seemed to be having a fun time while they also sharpened their skills.The post Camp counselor: ‘There are things you learn by playing the sport’ appeared first on SDNews.com.

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