Grieving father critical of Cali gun control proposals (VIDEO)

Following a proposal in California for new laws that would require background checks to buy ammo and force gun owners to give up extended magazines, an Oakland-area news station aimed to find out what community members thought of the proposal.

Christopher Ellis, a father who lost his 14-year-old son, Davon, in February due to gun violence, told KTVU that he thinks gun control would have little bearing on the streets of Oakland — a message not often expressed by victims of gun violence.

“[Gun control] is not effective where I live. I’m not against it, it’s just not effective because the environment that I live in, it just doesn’t have any bearing,” Ellis said. “Most people I know don’t go to gun stores to buy guns. They get it off the street.”

Addressing the measure to ban large-capacity magazines, he said, “The size of a magazine doesn’t really matter. When you’re a target your a target. Whether you’re an innocent bystander or the intentional target. Size of the magazine doesn’t really matter.”

He had two suggestions for reducing gun crimes in Oakland. The first had to do with parents being involved in their child’s life.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to parenting and it starts when they’re real little. Teach them right from wrong, steer them in the right path, and then also you have to set an example. If you’re mind is right then there’s a good chance your child’s mind will be right,” he said.

His second suggestion involved extending jail sentences for violent crimes, specifically mandatory life sentences for attempted murder and murder.

“The younger generation the only thing their scared of is losing their freedom. They’re not scared of anything else. Nothing else bothers them,” he said. “They’re not scared of the police. They’re not scared of their parents. They’re not scared of anybody. But the only thing they are scared of is losing their freedom.”

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