The California state legislature rejected Senate Bill 918 by two votes Thursday, legislation which would have limited citizens’ ability to carry weapons in courts, hospitals, airports, on public transportation, and in other areas deemed “sensitive.”
The Supreme Court in June ruled in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen that New York’s law requiring proof of a need for self-protection in order to carry a weapon was unconstitutional, rendering California’s “good cause” requirement void. Some California anti-gun lobbyists saw an opening after Bruen that would allow the state to still ban conceal carry in “sensitive” areas.
California’s bill originally failed Tuesday in the Assembly, but came up again for a vote through a process known as “reconsideration.” The bill ultimately failed Thursday in the Assembly, just two votes shy of the 2/3 supermajority required for votes to pass.
We did it. SB 918 is dead! Our job is done. Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislatures asking them to vote no. Our efforts are just beginning. We need your support for all of the lawsuits in our future. No Compromise !
— Gun Owners of CA (@GunOwnersCA) September 1, 2022
California Attorney General Rob Bonta spent the day in the state Capitol lobbying support for the bill from moderate Democrats, the LA Times reported. Democratic state Senator Anthony Portantino added an urgency clause to the legislation, meaning it could go into effect immediately upon its passage. (RELATED: ANALYSIS: After SCOTUS Blow, Anti-Gun States Are Getting Desperate…And A Little Racist)
“I’m legitimately surprised it didn’t pass,” Portantino said, according to the LA Times.
Portantino vowed to reintroduce the bill in December for the 2023-24 legislative session.
“Thank you to each and every one of you that took the time to contact your legislators about SB 918,” the gun rights group Gun Owners of California said in a statement Thursday.
“With California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta physically on the Floor of the Assembly twisting arms for a vote to make the entire state a CCW prohibited area, SB 918 still failed to secure the votes necessary for passage. THIS IS INCREDIBLE NEWS,” the group continued in the statement.