safety

Citing the failure of the state Legislature to act, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he has collected 600,000 signatures of California voters, more than enough to qualify a gun control initiative for the November ballot.

“We’re there. This is going to be on the November ballot,” Newsom said Thursday. “Over 600,000 registered voters want to take some bold action on gun safety.”

Newsom’s campaign plans to begin delivering signatures tomorrow to county clerks for verification. If at least 365,880 signatures are found to be valid, the measure qualifies for the ballot.

Newsom said most of the proposals in the initiative “have one thing in common, that over the past number of years they have suffered the fate of either being watered down or rejected by the Legislature. We’re hopeful and confident that the voters of California will overwhelmingly support the initiative.”

The broad measure would require background checks for purchasers of ammunition, ban possession of ammunition magazine clips holding more than 10 rounds, provide a process for felons and other disqualified persons to relinquish firearms and require owners to report when their guns are lost or stolen.

The initiative would also address an issue caused by the previous adoption of Proposition 47, which made thefts of guns worth under $1,000 a misdemeanor. The ballot measure would make all gun thefts a felony.

Last week, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said key provisions of the initiative, including the ban on large capacity magazines, are addressed by legislation this year, but that bills could be harmed by the initiative going forward.

A campaign committee including gun groups and law enforcement is being formed to defeat the initiative, according to one member, Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California. He noted that the measure has already been opposed by the California State Sheriffs’ Assn., which said it would put restrictions on law-abiding people without taking guns from criminals.

“it’s an initiative that carries multiple proposals that were either killed by the Legislature as not workable or vetoed by the governor,” Paredes said. “Newsom has collected failed policy issues from the Legislature and put them up as an initiative. Its going to be a massive effort to defeat him.”

Paredes said the initiative is a cynical attempt by Newsom to gain higher office.

“We know he’s doing this to pump himself up for his gubernatorial run,” Paredes said.

Newsom said his campaign for governor is secondary to his current effort to enact gun safety laws.

He said he has been active in the gun safety movement going back 15 years when he was mayor of San Francisco and a founding member of the group Mayors Against Guns. The NRA was so upset, they protested at his wedding in Montana, he said.

“I expect a good challenge from them,” Newsom said of the NRA. “They have been very aggressive to date. But we are very enthusiastic to be getting to this next phase.”

He cited internal polls indicating more than 70% of California voters support the initiative and a Field Poll that found greater support for provisions of the measure, including the ban on high capacity ammunition magazines.

The measure is also opposed by Chuck Michel, co-chair of the new Coalition for Civil Liberties. “Politicians like Newsom need to concentrate on stopping criminals and terrorists, not law-abiding citizens exercising their rights,” Michel said in a statement.

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Twitter: @mcgreevy99

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Opening political rift, Sen. De Leon slashes staff of Lt. Gov. Newsom

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Updates from Sacramento

A NUMBER of airlines are set to join the masses in banning a popular item on flights.

A handful of Australian airline companies are set to ban power banks on their flights within the next few weeks.

Qantas and Virgin Australia will ban the useful charging item after one caught fire in an overhead locker onboard a Virgin Australia flight in July.

The new rules mean that passengers will be limited to what size the portable charger is and they must be easily accessible within a passenger’s luggage.

Passengers will also be limited in how many portable chargers they take onboard to just two.

Virgin Australia’s chief operations officer Chris Snook said: “Globally, more lithium battery-powered devices are now being carried by travellers, and while these items are generally safe when packed and handled appropriately, this move will minimise any potential risks associated with these devices.”

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Changes in policy for Virgin Australia will come into force on December 1.

Passengers will be limited to a power bank capacity of 100 watt-hour – anything more than this and special approval will be needed.

As for other Australian airlines, the ban will take effect from December 15 for Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar and the maximum capacity of a power bank allowed will be 160 watt-hour.

The ban will apply to all international and domestic flights.

In an announcement last week, the airlines confirmed that power banks will still be allowed on flights, they just need to be somewhere accessible – so ideally in you underseat bag in front of you or the pocket in the back of the seat.

Virgin Australia flights will also not allow power banks to be stored in the overhead compartment.

Power banks will also be banned from checked-in luggage.

If a passenger needs to charge their device during a flight, they can use the in-seat USB ports.

The Australian airlines are not the first to introduce limits on power banks, as a number of other airlines have already introduced rules such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

If you want to know whether your power bank is allowed on a flight you are due to catch, first have a look at your airline’s website to find out its capacity limits on power banks.

Then, to calculate the watt-hour of your power bank, multiply the battery capacity (mAh) by the voltage (V) of the internal lithium battery and divide by 1,000.

Australian airlines introducing new rules on power banks follows a statement made by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the US, back in September, after 50 incidents had been reported concerning power banks onboard flights.

The FAA said: “Lithium batteries stored in passenger overhead bins and or in carry-on baggage may be obscured, difficult to access, or not readily monitored by passengers or crewmembers.

“Because of this, detection of thermal runaway and firefighting measures may be delayed in flight, increasing the risk to safety.”

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In other aviation news, Ryanair is set to axe all flights to European islands often compared to Hawaii.

Plus, UK airport gets new long-haul flights to one of the world’s best cities – the first in nearly 20 years.

The Gambia hosts Issa Tchiroma Bakary after Paul Biya, Cameroon’s leader for 43 years, wins yet another election.

Cameroon’s opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has fled to The Gambia “for the purpose of ensuring his safety” in the wake of the recent presidential election that returned longtime ruler Paul Biya to power amid deadly protests.

The Gambian government confirmed in a statement on Sunday that it was hosting Tchiroma “temporarily” in the country on “humanitarian grounds” while pursuing a “peaceful and diplomatic resolution” to post-electoral tensions in Cameroon.

The statement, posted on the Facebook page of the office of Gambian President Adama Barrow, said The Gambia was working with regional partners like Nigeria to “support a peaceful and negotiated outcome” following October’s disputed election.

Official election results showed 92-year-old Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, secured his eighth term in office with 53.7 percent of the vote, against 35.2 percent for Tchiroma, a former government minister leading the Cameroon National Salvation Front.

But Tchiroma, who claimed vote tampering, stated he was the election’s real winner. “This is not democracy, it is electoral theft, a constitutional coup as blatant as it is shameful,” he said at the time.

The opposition leader repeatedly urged supporters to protest against the official election outcome, urging them to stage “dead city” operations by closing shops and halting other public activities.

The Cameroonian government has confirmed that at least five people were killed during the protests, although the opposition and civil society groups claim the figures are much higher.

The government has said it plans to initiate legal proceedings against Tchiroma for his “repeated calls for insurrection.”

Biya came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president and has ruled since, following a 2008 constitutional amendment that abolished term limits.

He has ruled the country with an iron fist, repressing all political opposition.