Crackdown

San Diego. -- It's a big state, so many numbers are bound to be big, but still: In this year's first half, Californians made 332,000 legal gun purchases, a 6 percent increase over the same period last year, a year when California gun sales soared 19 percent. This is one reason why Gov. Pete Wilson would be smiling promiscuously were he not parsimonious with smiles. He is not happy about the anxieties driving gun sales, but he is one of the nation's most seasoned politicians and he knows when issues are breaking his way.The issues dominating California's gubernatorial campaign, crime and illegal immigration, are considered by many voters to be a single issue, the latter being part of the former.

The Pentagon estimated Tuesday that 26,000 members of the military were sexually assaulted last year, 36 percent more than a year earlier, in a trend so severe that senior officials warned it could threaten recruiting and retention of military personnel. President Barack Obama, reacting to the startling figures, said he has "no tolerance" for sexual assaults in the ranks and pledged to crack down on commanders who ignore the problem. Obama said he had spoken to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and ordered that officers "up and down the food chain" get the message.

Way to go Anne Arundel County ("Arundel cops target handicap parking violators," May 28). It's about time someone started cracking down on those inconsiderate people who continue to park in a handicapped spot because they are too lazy to walk a few feet. I have had a handicapped parking permit for almost five years. But every time I go shopping, I find myself searching for a parking space close to the store because all of the handicapped spots are taken. Once, I decided to take down tag numbers of some of those who were either too lazy to walk, were taking advantage of a relative's permit, or thought they would play Russian Roulette with the police.

When Orioles catcher Matt Wieters threw out Tampa Bay's speedy center fielder Desmond Jennings trying to steal second base in the ninth inning Thursday night, it wasn't just an important play in a game the Orioles eventually won in 10 innings. It served as further example that Wieters - and, really, the entire defense - has shut down the opposition's running game so far in 2013. How good has Wieters and company been? They have thrown out eight of 10 would-be base stealers this year - an 80 percent mark that is by far the best in the majors.

THE SOVIET ARMY'S brutal attack on unarmed demonstrators in Lithuania raises troubling questions about the future of East-West relations in the post-Cold War era and about who is in control in the Kremlin.No matter what the reasons for the crackdown, the political reality is that this attack is going to put a serious chill on relations with the West. It also calls into question whether Gorbachev is really in charge and whether the crackdown that has begun will end in a triumph of hard-liners who not only want to roll back the independence movements inside the Soviet Union, but also staunch the diminution of Soviet power around the world.

An election-year crackdown on addicts and alcoholics drawing checks from a Social Security aid program for the disabled could cost taxpayers three times more than Congress thought it would -- and may trigger a continuing drain on the trust fund that millions of American retirees rely on.That's the conclusion that emerges from confidential Social Security Administration documents obtained by The Sun that say officials miscalculated the cost estimates that...

Baltimore police arrested 35 people on drug charges Thursday night and early yesterday in a crackdown in central Park Heights and surrounding neighborhoods where assaults and robberies have been a problem.Maj. Errol L. Dutton, commander of the Northwestern District, said 65 officers from his district, the tactical section and three other station houses participated in Operation Change of Venue.Dutton said all of those arrested -- 28 men, five women and two juveniles -- were charged with drug possession.

Outraged congressmen and advocates for the mentally ill said yesterday that a crackdown on 180,000 addicts and alcoholics drawing checks from a Social Security aid program for the disabled probably would not have been approved if Congress knew how much it would cost.The reaction came in the wake of an article yesterday in The Sun detailing a confidential internal report that said Social Security gave Congress grossly underestimated cost figures when it voted last summer to hire contractors to supervise the addicts.

Let's say the investigations targeted Steve Blake or Lonny Baxter, two Maryland starters who attended prep school. Let's say one of them had received tuition aid from a third party outside his immediate family, then been suspended by the NCAA. Coach Gary Williams and Maryland fans would react with justifiable outrage -- the same outrage that others have expressed over the past three months with seven other top Division I schools falling victim to the NCAA's latest crackdown. What gives the NCAA the right to penalize a school for an infraction that was committed without the school's knowledge before a student-athlete arrived on campus?

BEFORE LAST month's deplorable crackdown on dissidents in Cuba, the situation there had seemed to be inching toward somewhat greater tolerance. During his trip to Cuba in May 2002, for example, former President Jimmy Carter met with Cuban dissidents and in his televised speech to the nation spoke of the Varela Project, an initiative of theirs calling for greater political freedoms. And both before and after Mr. Carter's visit, many other Americans, myself included, regularly and openly met with the dissidents without any problem.

Detective Hassan Rasheed had been watching the Northwest Baltimore repair shop for weeks as men brought dirt bikes in and out for repairs. Now police, intent on cracking down on illegal bikes, were prepared to move in. Armed with a search-and-seizure warrant, Rasheed and a team of officers gathered up 16 bikes. Some had been reported stolen. As the officers combed the West Belvedere Avenue repair shop, a crowd gathered outside the barbed-wire-topped fence. "I'm sure everyone's [angry]

The IRS wants to show taxpayers it is taking identity theft seriously. Today, the agency announced it conducted a 32-state sweep in recent weeks that targeted 389 identity theft suspects and led to 734 enforcement actions - from complaints to indictments and arrests - in January. It had help from the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys' offices. The IRS posted a map of its crackdown, which includes several cases in Maryland. According to the IRS, this includes an indictment in January of two brothers who allegedly filed fake returns from April 2007 to January 2012, collecting refunds ranging from about $1,500 to $4,950.

The O'Malley administration is all for enforcing infractions on state residents - but holds itself to an entirely less stringent moral and legal standard. The push to double E-ZPass fines is a case in point. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) would like to increase late fees for E-ZPass infractions to $50 and potentially suspend vehicle registrations for nonpayment in legislation yet to be introduced this session. For starters, the proposed punishment far exceeds the crime.

As efforts to crack down on the abuse of prescription drugs have worked, a new problem has emerged, with addicts who can no longer get their fix by popping pills turning to the old-fashioned street drug heroin, health and law enforcement officials say. The trend shows up in local arrests, drug seizures and overdose deaths. Drug dealers are finding new markets in the suburbs, where teenagers once got their stash from local drugstores or their parents' medicine cabinets, some experts say. "The kids who got addicted to prescription pills are flipping to heroin, and, as a result, these kids are dropping like flies," said Mike Gimbel, a longtime drug counselor in Baltimore County who now works at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.

Some members of Congress want to fire federal workers who are seriously delinquent on their taxes. Furthermore, if they had their way, prospective employees in deep tax arrears wouldn't even be considered for a job with Uncle Sam. The Republican-led House passed legislation last month that raised the consequences for federal civilian workers behind on their taxes, or anyone who wants to work for the government. Supporters say the measure is necessary to hold employees accountable, collect about $1 billion past due and foster confidence among Americans that public servants aren't ditching their tax obligations.

Enforcement of a three-year-old Annapolis law levying fines for false security alarms will begin Sept. 1 as city police start cracking down on businesses and residences. Property owners will get a pass for the first two false alarms; for the third and fourth within a year, a civil fine of $100 will be assessed. That jumps to $200 for subsequent false alarms. The clock doesn't start ticking anew until 365 days pass with no false alarm, said Annapolis Police Maj. Scott Baker. Responding to false alarms costs the city money - an estimated $60 to $65 per officer responding, and sometimes two are sent.

MOSCOW -- Encountering intense criticism from the United States and Europe about Russia's commitment to civil society, President Vladimir V. Putin signaled a willingness yesterday to temper his country's controversial legislative crackdown on human rights groups and other nongovernmental organizations. But he endorsed the need for a proposed law aimed at reining in NGOs, saying Russia should "exercise control" over the activities of foreign and domestic groups to ensure that their activities adhere to the stated missions of their charters.

A monthlong crackdown on drug and gun trafficking along Pulaski Highway, aimed at deterring criminal activity coming into Baltimore County, led to more than a dozen arrests, police said last week.Operation "Snag-It" (short for "Stop Narcotics and Guns Interdiction Team") also caught motorists wanted in auto thefts and on outstanding warrants, and arrested 45 drivers charged with driving while under the influence."Operation Snag-It was a success," Lt. Kate Meeks said. "We were able to take these people off the streets, and we also made an impact on drunk driving."

On a hot summer day, Big Gunpowder Falls beckons and thousands answer the call: anglers, swimmers, kayakers and picnickers. The Gunpowder also speaks to Gary Kloch, who hears cash registers each time a customer pays $20 to $35 for a red-and-yellow tube and shuttle to the water's edge for a refreshing three-hour float downstream. Maryland Natural Resources Police say what he's doing is illegal - using a state park to drop tubers off and stash a stack of inflatables - and have ticketed him three times since Friday.

Given the recent crackdown on contract hits, as noted in "Sins of the Saints" (March 22) and other player run-ins with the law, perhaps the acronym NFL refers to the National Felons League. Dennis R. McCartney, Baltimore