It was anti-crime activist Mike Reynolds and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims who sat down one day and came up with the idea.

Now almost 2 years later, the Safe Neighborhoods Act has gained enough signatures to be placed on California's ballot in November.

"These guys have no idea what kind of jail time they're facing when they go out and use firearms in the commission of their crimes," Mike Reynolds said.

So the act is designed to teach them.

Among other proposals, it would:

-Create an early intervention program.

-Increase penalties for gang members with guns

-Create a statewide gang registry.

The act also would create an independent commission to study the state's correctional and rehabilitation systems.

"We're going to find out what works and what doesn't and we've got the money to back it up, and the ones that work, we're going to follow them, and the ones that don't, we're pulling the plug on them," Reynolds said.

The law would also allow law enforcement to house convicts in more cost effective prisons and jails.

Sheriff Mims said the law would give her badly needed flexibility.

"It's very expensive to build a jail, and if we have options, for instance if it's good enough for you and I to live in, it's good enough for an inmate to live in, it gives sheriffs more choices," she said.

"It's not like they ever intended to get in trouble, they just wanted someone to care about them," Criminal defense attorney Mark King said.

King agreed with Mims and Reynolds on why kids join gangs.

But King said penalties are already harsh for gang activity, and increased penalties are unlikely to stop them from committing crime.

"The best way to fight gang violence, is to make sure the kids have good schools to go to, their parents have a better chance to make a living, and as the kid gets older, he or she has the chance to train for a meaningful job," he said.

Mike Reynolds is also a co-author of California's Three Strikes Law.

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http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=8440128