M. TERRY/SFVS

Ron Cottriel, manager of the Angeles Shooting Ranges in Lake View Terrace

Like many folks on Jan. 16, Ron Cottriel, manager of the Angeles Shooting Ranges in Lake View Terrace, listened to President Barack Obama's proposals for more gun control in the United States.

Afterward, Cottriel was unsure how different things would be no matter what is passed by Congress, or Obama approves via executive orders.

"From what I've seen of the 23 [proposals] the president is putting down on his list, most of it you would think had already been enacted," Cottriel said.

He said he felt some proposals were speaking to "the inter-relationships between the ATF, FBI, local law enforcement, and it shows me that the government's not doing its job. When you send in an application for a gun purchase, in California it takes two weeks for a pistol. So you assume they're checking everything. "But what [Obama] has put down on his list of things to do, it never happens because he's saying it needs to be fixed," Cottriel said.

He noted that when Obama got into office in 2008, "sales of guns went through the roof. And frankly, they've stayed that way."

And he suspects But it also had an unexpected impact on his business. "We sell ammunition here, but only to the people that shoot here," he said. "And it creates a problem for us; the people buying ammunition out there take away from what from what I can sell retail because I can't get it from wholesaler, who's now selling it to the small gun shops.

"I also have a store that sells components for ammunition. Same thing; the components get scarce. We haven't seen it yet, but we have before. Four years ago it was bad in the first two years, the third year started get more plentiful supply and the fourth year was pretty good. But now we have the same problem coming back again."

Cottriel then points out that the Second Amendment, which guarantees a right to bear arms, was not written for hunting but to enable to public to protect itself from a tyrannical government.

"If the government wants to come to my house, that's what it's for," he said. "If I've done something illegal, that's something else; but if they're coming to do something against me, and I haven't done anything, that's what the amendment supports. Not for me to go out and shoot squirrels and rabbits or whatever."

But Cottriel is concerned the current push to change or enact new gun legislation would have more effect on those who want to go out and hunt rabbits. "They're not the criminals, but they're the ones who are affected. Criminals don't obey laws, that's why they are criminals," Cottriel said.

Others also feel the proposals would bring about little change in public safety.

Elias Yidonoy, owner of Los Angeles Gun Club, said the president's plan "will have no bearing whatsoever" on criminal activity or someone bent on doing harm to others.

"It's very difficult to stop someone unbalanced from doing harm to others. No amount of laws will stop that," said Yidonoy, who said his business has seen a tremendous upswing in people buying guns and ammunition in recent weeks.

He said his customers are worried the government will take away their guns.

"People are panicking. When you tell someone you can't have something, they want to find out why and get it," he noted.

Yidonoy also said guns are still a valuable form of self-defense. "All these people that are saying no guns, what about their security detail; are they going to be without guns?" he said, in reference to the president and other politicians who have armed bodyguards.

And guns are an effective crime deterrent, Yidonoy said. "If you are anti-gun, put a sign on your doorway that says this is a gun-free house and see who's going to get robbed first, you or me," he said.