California: Anti-Gun Legislation Passes Appropriations Committees and Heads to the Floor

On August 30, both the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees took up their respective suspense files and passed anti-gun legislation that will now head to the floor in each chamber for votes. It’s imperative that NRA members contact their legislators in the final weeks of session and urge their opposition to these anti-gun measures.

Assembly Floor

The Assembly Appropriations Committee passed SB 61 and SB 172 with amendments. The amendments will be made publicly available next week prior to the bills being eligible for a vote on the Assembly floor. Use the take action button below to contact members of the Assembly and urge their opposition.

Senate Bill 61, sponsored by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25), would expand California’s existing one handgun a month law to apply to all firearms, absent narrow circumstances.

Senate Bill 172, sponsored by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25), would expand California’s existing storage laws and includes harsh penalties for non-compliance.

Senate Floor

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed AB 12, AB 879, AB 893, AB 1254 and AB 1669 which will now head to the Senate Floor where they will be eligible for votes. Use the take action button below to the contact members of the Senate and urge their opposition.

Assembly Bill 12, sponsored by Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin (D-44), would extend the duration of California’s “gun violence restraining order” law from one year to a period of up to five years. Meaning a person could be prohibited from owning and possessing firearms for five years at a time without ever being adjudicated as dangerously mentally ill or convicted of a crime.

Assembly Bill 61 , sponsored by Assembly Member Philip Ting (D-19), would expand the list of those eligible to file “gun violence restraining orders” beyond the currently authorized petitioners, which include immediate family and law enforcement. The new list is expanded to employers, coworkers and employees of a secondary or postsecondary school that the person has attended in the last 6 months. GVRO’s can remove a person’s Second Amendment rights, not based on criminal convictions or mental health adjudications, but based on third party allegations often without due process until weeks after a person’s rights have been suspended.

Assembly Bill 879, sponsored by Assembly Member Mike Gipson (D-64), would require precursor firearms parts to be sold/transferred through a licensed precursor parts dealer in a similar process to the new laws regarding ammunition purchases. It would further create a registry of these parts and a new crime for transfer of precursor parts without the involvement of a licensed precursor parts dealer to anyone under 21 years of age or prohibited from owning firearms. Precursor parts include items such as unfinished frames and receivers.

Assembly Bill 893, sponsored by Assembly Member Todd Gloria (D-78), would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition at the Del Mar fairgrounds located in the 22^nd District Agricultural Association on and after January 1, 2021.

Assembly Bill 1254, sponsored by Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-54) would prohibit the ability to hunt, trap or otherwise take a bobcat except in specified circumstances including depredation permits.

Assembly Bill 1669, sponsored by Assembly Member Rob Bonta (D-18), would raise the fees paid by consumers when purchasing firearms. The DROS account has generated a massive surplus at times, so much so that tens of millions of dollars that have been utilized to fund other DOJ programs including a $24 million dollar loan to the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) just a few years ago. This legislation appears nothing more than an effort to put more cost constraints on gun owners to foot the bill for the massive cost pressures the legislature has put on DOJ in recent years including ammunition background checks and long gun registration to name a few.

Continue to check your inbox and the California Stand and Fight webpage for updates on issues impacting your Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage.