Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Article: Husband Of Seal Beach Massacre Victim Pushes Gun Control Reform

SEAL BEACH (CBSLA.com) — One year after the worst mass slaying ever in Orange County, one Seal Beach man hopes to prevent another tragedy like the one that claimed the life of his wife. KNX 1070′s Mike Landa reports 47-year-old Christy Lynn Wilson was among eight people killed when Scott Dekraai allegedly opened fire at Salon Meritage in October of last year. Dekraai, who was involved in a child custody dispute with his ex-wife Michelle Fournier, 48, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder. Now Christy’s husband Paul has started an online petition proposing a new form of gun control which he calls “Christy’s Law”, which would prohibit anyone involved in a child custody dispute in California from buying a gun or accessing any firearm in their possession. “If you’re involved in a custody battle and you own a weapon, the other party should have the right to ask for that weapon to be taken away,” Wilson said. Investigators say Dekraai was in possession of three handguns at the time of the killings. But despite his proposal, Wilson insists his legislation is not intended to limit anyone’s Constitutional right to bear arms. “We’re not trying to take guns out of anybody’s hands; we’re trying to take guns out of the wrong people’s hands, the people that should not have those guns,” he said. Christy Wilson and Fournier were killed along with Randy Lee Fannin, 62; Victoria Ann Buzzo, 54; Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65; Laura Lee Elody, 46; Michele Daschbach Fast, 47; and David Caouette, 64. Hattie Stretz, 74, was wounded but survived. Paul Wilson also hopes to enact some reform of the legal process that would allow for civil lawsuits to run parallel to criminal cases. He filed suit against Dekraai last year, but he has cited his Fifth Amendment right to freeze the civil process while his criminal case is pending. On his Facebook page, Wilson said he hopes “these changes will prevent others from suffering as he and the family members of all the victims of the October 12 slayings have suffered and continue to suffer through a judicial system that is skewed towards the protection of killers, rather than victim.”

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