Gun Laws & Legislation

California advances legislation to confiscate hi-cap mags, ban lead ammo, force firearm storage

NRA ILA Contributor
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By NRA-ILA

California gun owners and sportsmen are quickly running out of time to contact your state legislators and stop draconian legislation from passing in Sacramento.  With both the state Senate and Assembly now back to work, anti-gun legislators are moving fast to build momentum to railroad passage of severe anti-gun legislation.  Gun owners and sportsmen cannot let this happen.  It is critical that you call and e-mail your state Senator and Assemblyman now urging them to stop working to turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals.  Contact information for your state Senator and Assemblyman can be found here.

Below is an update of what happened this week in Sacramento where your immediate action is needed:

Senate Bill 475 (Leno) allows San Francisco officials to effectively BAN gun shows and the sale of firearms in the Cow Palace at the Fairgrounds.  This anti-gun bill is on its final reading in the Assembly and could be considered at anytime.  It is important to call AND e-mail your state Assemblyman urging him or her to OPPOSE SB 475.

Assembly Bill 180 (Bonta) repeals state firearms preemption in Oakland by allowing that city to enact ordinances that are more restrictive than state laws relating to registration or licensing of firearms.  This anti-gun bill is on its final reading in the state Senate and could be considered at anytime.  It is important to call AND e-mailyour state Senator urging him or her to OPPOSE AB 180. 

Assembly Bill 231 (Ting) expands the law relating to the storage of firearms.  This bill does nothing to reduce California’s violent crime problem and only turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals whether or not anything harmful actually happens, and regardless of whether there was any misconduct on the part of the gun owner.  Ultimately, AB 231 is a misguided proposal that imposes unprecedented liability on those who choose to exercise their fundamental right to keep and bear arms.  This onerous legislation passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday.  AB 231 is now on its final reading in the state Senate and could be considered at anytime.  It is very important to call AND e-mail your state Senator urging him or her to OPPOSE AB 231.

Assembly Bill 48 (Skinner) BANS the sale of magazine parts kits that can hold more than ten cartridges and requires mandatory reporting (REGISTRATION) of law-abiding citizens who purchase more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition within a five-day period.  AB 48 was placed in the state Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file and will be heard later this month.  In the meantime, please contact all members of the state Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to OPPOSE AB 48.  Contact information for members of this committee can be found here. 

Assembly Bill 711 (Rendon) would make California the first state in the nation to prohibit the use of all lead ammunition for hunting.  The NR urges all hunters, recreational shooters and gun-owners to actively OPPOSE B 711.  We will keep you posted on the hearing date for this legislation in the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.  In the meantime, please continue to contact the members of the state Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to OPPOSE this anti-gun legislation.  Contact information for this committee can be found here.

Next are anti-gun Senate bills that have passed in the state Senate and are now awaiting consideration in an Assembly committee for which a meeting has not been scheduled to date:

 

Senate Bill 47 (Yee) bans the sale of popular “bullet button” semi-automatic rifles with certain physical characteristics.  SB 47 would also require registration of currently owned bullet-button rifles, and would amend the definition of “fixed magazine” for purposes of California’s “assault weapons” laws to include a magazine that cannot be removed without “disassembly of the firearm action.”  SB 47 passed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 4 to 2 vote on Tuesday and now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Senate Bill 108 (Yee) requires mandatory locked storage of firearms in a locked house regardless of whether anyone is present.  The hearing for SB 108 on Tuesday by the Assembly Public Safety Committee was cancelled at the request of author but is expected to be rescheduled soon. 

Senate Bill 374 (Steinberg) would expand the definition of “assault weapons” to include ALL semi-automatic rifles that accept a detachable magazine.  SB 374 would ban on the sale and possession of ALL semi-auto rifles and require registration to retain legal possession in the future.  SB 374 passed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 4 to 2 vote on Tuesday and now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Senate Bill 396 (Hancock) bans the possession of all standard capacity magazines over ten rounds and would require confiscation of these magazines that are currently lawfully possessed.  SB 396 passed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 4 to 2 vote.  SB 396 will now move to the state Assembly Appropriations Committee.  We will keep you posted on the next hearing date for this bill.

Senate Bill 567 (Jackson) redefines shotguns to include any firearm that may be fired through a rifled bore or a smooth bore, regardless of whether it is designed to be fired from the shoulder.  SB 567 also bans the sale of shotguns that have a revolving cylinder and requires registration of these currently owned shotguns.  SB 567 passed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 4 to 2 vote on Tuesday and now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

Senate Bill 683 (Block) expands California’s handgun safety certificate requirement to apply to all firearms, and would prohibit anyone from purchasing or transferring any firearm without a firearm safety certificate.  SB 683 passed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee by a 4 to 2 vote on Tuesday and now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

You can write your representative here urging them to oppose the anti-gun bills listed above.  Please feel free to also copy and paste all of the bill information to ensure your state legislators know which bills to oppose.

You can also send a letter to all elected officials in California here.  Please feel free to copy and paste all of the bill information above to ensure the elected officials of California know which bills to oppose.