(The chart referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 38" and is as follows:) EXHIBIT No. 38 Weapons destroyed by the Los Angeles Police Department as provided in sec. 12028 California Penal Code Number of handguns (pistols and revolvers) booked.... Total number of firearms booked__ Estimate of the number of foreign and mail-order type firearms: 2, 184 626 2,810 114 1 Total, 47 percent. Total, 0.06 percent. Grand total, 39 percent. The easy availability of these guns have unquestionably figured in the armed crimes in the city of Los Angeles. The increase in the crimes in which guns were used is most graphically illustrated in the crime of robbery, and we have charts here on the right showing the incidence of robbery from 1956 to 1964: the incidence in which guns were used in 1956, there were only 503 adult and 26 juvenile incidents in 1956 as compared with 2,809 adult and 58 juvenile occurrences in 1964, and aggravated assaults with guns used which increased from 329 adult and 31 juvenile and that was the 1956 figure—to 1,549 adult and 157 juvenile during 1964. (The charts referred to were marked "Exhibits Nos. 39, 40, 41, and 42," and are as follows:) EXHIBIT No. 39 Robberies reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, 1956 through 1964 Robberies with guns used, reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, 1956 through 1964 Aggravated assaults reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, 1956 EXHIBIT No. 42 Homicides reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, 1956 through 1964 The total of all robberies and aggravated assaults increased less than 100 percent while, as you can see, those robberies where guns were used rose over 500 percent and aggravated assaults over 400 percent. The writings on the side of each of the charts also point out a very interesting statistic. In the case of robberies during 1956 in only one of each seven robberies were firearms used, while about by 1964 in one of every 2.4 robberies firearms were used. Also in the case of aggravated assaults, 1 out of every 16.2 used firearms, and by 1964, 1 out of every 5.7 used firearms. Bank robberies have become one of our major problems and the committee has been furnished a chart showing an increase of 241.9 percent in the city of Los Angeles from 1960 to 1964 and they are still on the rise in 1965. Considering that some 65 percent of these are committed by suspects who actually display a gun, a definite need is shown to reduce the availability of weapons to the potential criminal. Thank you. Senator DODD. Thank you, Captain. (The chart referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 43" and appears on p. 159.) Senator DODD. You have certainly faced the situation in your everyday work, and your testimony is particularly valuable for that reason. Do you have any questions? Mr. PERIAN. Yes, sir. Captain Howe, you have referred to the itinerant gun dealer and the applicable section of 1592 which would curb this, and you have also cited a specific case in this area. Is this type of activity routine, or is it a serious threat to the enforcement of the law in your community? Mr. Howe. Well, Mr. Perian, it is not routine for the great amount of armament that we recovered in the case that I mentioned. There are a number of persons holding Federal firearms, dealer permits that do travel from place to place supposedly selling their wares. The reason it is not as critical in California as other States, is that they cannot sell to the individual in California without filling out our form and waiting 3 days to deliver their weapons. |