Gun Laws & Legislation

California Gun Law Prompts Frenzy Of Assault Gun Registrations

MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Further restrictions on Second Amendment rights in California have resulted in a flurry of assault weapons registrations, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Since the passage of a bill that expanded gun registry in the state, 43 percent more assault weapons have been registered in the last 11 months. That amounts to over 68,000 applications.

The enhanced registry was passed in 2016 after the San Bernardino shooting of the previous year. It outlawed the sale of semi-automatic assault rifles that allow a “bullet button” to quickly dispense with expended magazines and attach fresh ammunition. Gun owners who already owned this product had to have it registered with the state’s justice department as of June 30 this year.

California targeted the rifles after the San Bernardino shooting, as well as an earlier incident at the LA airport that killed a TSA agent.

“Registration is a common sense accountability measure to track weapons that can be used for great harm to society,” Democratic Rep. Marc Levine told the Times. Levine is a co-sponsor of the 2016 gun registry.

Anyone found to have not registered their bullet button semi-automatic could be incarcerated for a one year and lose possession of their rifle.

Second Amendment defenders are challenging both the law and the deadline for registration, arguing that many affected could not successfully comply online. The state justice department disputes this claim and says there have been no technical issues with their website.

The executive director of the Gun Owners of Calfornia told Fox News that he questions the efficacy of the rifle registry. “We have concerns with registration because we don’t see that it serves any legitimate law enforcement purpose,” said Sam Paredes.

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