“San Jose is moving closer to becoming the first big city in America to require gun owners to lock up their guns when they’re away from home,” abc7news.com reports. “The goal is to keep people safe if a home is broken into.” Wait. What? “Two San Jose city council members worry [that stolen] guns are used to commit other crimes.” Oh, so locking-up your guns when you’re not home keeps other people safe. Which makes it a win-win!
“We actually are doing this not only to protect our community from gun violence and guns falling into the wrong hands, but ultimately it protects the guns of the firearm owners, because they get to keep their guns,” said San Jose City Council members Ash Kalra.
Or not.
Joe Castello, the owner of Castello Guns in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, doesn’t think the plan will keep guns out of the hands of burglars.
“This won’t prevent anything. If a burglar breaks in and the gun is locked up, he’s going to get the gun no matter what. Is that going to prevent anything? Can’t,” Costello said.
Question: how do you enforce a safe storage law that only applies when a gun owners is away from base? You investigate his or her firearms storage when they’re out! By the same token, if a gun is stolen when you’re not at home, you have to prove you weren’t at home!
This cockamamie compromise is unlike most safe storage laws, which require guns to be locked-up anytime the weapon isn’t under the owner’s direct control. Still, the new ordnance is equally unconstitutional, unworkable and unenforceable.
What worries me: some intellectually challenged government zealot may try to enforce it, with lethal results.