Update on Pending California Firearm Legislation

The California legislature going on break until Monday, August 20.  The following is an update on pending firearm legislation.

Assembly Bill 1471 and Assembly Bill 334, have been moved out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and will head to the Senate floor for a vote upon the legislature's return from its break.  No date has been scheduled for a vote.  

AB1471 would require that the make, model, and serial number be microstamped onto the interior surface or internal working parts of all handguns in such a manner that those identifiers are imprinted onto the cartridge case upon firing.  The manufacture, sale, and transfer of handguns that do not include their identifying information would be a crime. 

AB334 would make it a crime, for any person whose handgun is stolen or irretrievably lost, not to report the theft or loss to a local law enforcement agency within 5 working days after his or her discovery of the theft or loss; or within 5 working days after the date he or she should have reasonably known of the theft or loss.  AB334 would also let local governments enact reporting requirements that are more strict than those specified in the bill.

Assembly Bill 821 was voted out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, July 16.  This bill would ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting in various hunting zones around the state that incorporate condor range.  A lead ammunition ban will have disastrous affects on our hunting heritage in California.  AB821 now heads to the full Senate for its consideration.

Assembly Bill 362 is headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee to be amended to comply with the Senate Public Safety Committee demands that the bill simply study the possibility of ammunition registration.

Thanks to substantial opposition by NRA members and other sportsmen’s groups, Assembly Bill 1364 failed to garner enough support to pass the Senate Local Government Committee and was pulled from committee.  The bill will not be reconsidered again before January 2008. While this is a great win for sportsmen throughout the Golden State, the debate will continue in the future.  Please continue to convey your opposition to this legislation to your legislators at every opportunity.

Please contact your State Senator and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB1471, AB334, and AB821.  Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking here.