美国国家公共电台 NPR Should Ammunition Buyers Face Background Checks? California's Voters Will Decide

Should Ammunition¹ Buyers Face Background Checks? California's Voters Will Decide

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With gun control efforts stalled in Congress and many state houses, some advocates are forging another path forward. They're going straight to voters. Four states have gun control initiatives on the November 8 ballot³ - Maine, Nevada, Washington and here in California. Polls show all of the proposals have strong support. Marisa Lagos of member station KQED in San Francisco has more.

MARISA LAGOS, BYLINE⁵: In Nevada and Maine, voters are being asked whether to strengthen background check requirements for gun sales. Washington state voters already did that. Now they're considering whether to allow a court to take guns away from potentially dangerous people. California already has all of those laws on the books.

Now, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make the state's already strict gun laws even tougher. Proposition 63 would require background checks for buyers and sellers of ammunition, and allow law enforcement to track who is purchasing which types of bullets.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GAVIN NEWSOM: The most important folks we're trying to bring in under the ammunition background check are people that quote, unquote, "don't own a gun," but are legally buying ammunition.

LAGOS: Newsom says Prop⁴ 63 will let the state crack down on the most dangerous gun users who account for the most deaths - those with illegal firearms. Gun rights supporters say the ballot measure won't stop criminals. Craig DeLuz is a lobbyist for the Firearms Policy Coalition⁶ in Sacramento.

CRAIG DELUZ: Most of the provisions in this bill do not affect anyone who's been convicted of a crime. It does not affect terrorists. It does not affect potential mass shooters. It does not affect criminals. It only affects law-abiding⁷ citizens.

LAGOS: But Julie Leftwich of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence says the most important part of Prop 63 is a provision that would require someone convicted of a felony to prove to a court before their sentence that they no longer have a gun, either by handing it in to law enforcement or selling it to a licensed⁸ buyer like a gun store.

JULIE LEFTWICH: We currently have no clear, verifiable process to get guns out of the hands of newly-convicted felons⁹.

LAGOS: Currently in California, there are an estimated 34,000 guns in the hands of people who became felons after buying the guns. Prop 63 also requires people to report to police when a gun is lost or stolen, something that Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed. Gun enthusiasts¹⁰ say the ammunition provision of the ballot measure will just drive up prices for those abiding by the law.

(SOUNDBITE OF GUNSHOTS)

LAGOS: At the Jackson Arms shooting range in south San Francisco, longtime recreational shooter James Cloud has finished target practice.

JAMES CLOUD: You could go through easily a thousand rounds in one day - easily. Normally you would buy it online because the stores are too expensive.

LAGOS: The thing is, ammunition regulations are coming to California with or without Prop 63. Lawmakers here passed a similar law this summer, after Newsom had already submitted the ballot measure. It was an unusual move, but supporters of the ballot measure think Democrats¹¹ in the legislature were moved to act by Prop 63.

In general, voters have been far more willing than state or federal lawmakers to buck¹² the NRA and support tighter gun laws. Newsom says ballot measures are important because they're harder to undo¹³ than laws passed in the state house.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NEWSOM: All these things can be changed and I fear will be changed because of the gun lobby that's been very persuasive¹⁴, even with Democrats.

LAGOS: The powerful NRA has largely sat out the state fights this time around, only dumping resources against the Nevada measure. But gun supporters may be eyeing another front altogether. Many observers wonder if the group is waiting to challenge the laws in court. For NPR News, I'm Marisa Lagos in San Francisco.

1 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

4 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

8 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

9 felons   

n.重罪犯( felon的名词复数 )；瘭疽；甲沟炎；指头脓炎

参考例句：

• Aren't those the seats they use for transporting convicted felons? 这些坐位不是他们用来押运重犯的吗？ 来自电影对白
• House Republicans talk of making felons out of the undocumented and those who help them. 众议院共和党议员正商议对未登记的非法移民以及包庇他们的人课以重罪。 来自互联网

10 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

13 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

14 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。