California: Hearing Dates of Five Gun Bills Approaching!

In the coming weeks five gun bills will be heard in Sacramento. 

Assembly Bill 962, sponsored by Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), would make it a crime to privately transfer more than 50 rounds of ammunition per month, even between family and friends, unless you are registered as a “handgun ammunition vendor” in the Department of Justice’s database.  Ammunition retailers would have to be licensed and store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers.  The bill would also require purchasers submit to fingerprinting, which would be submitted to the Department of Justice.  Lastly, mail order ammunition sales would be prohibited.  AB962 will be considered by the Assembly Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday, April 14. Please contact them and urge them to oppose this bill.  Contact information can be found below.

Senate Bill 585, introduced by State Senator Mark Leno (D-3), would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace.  In short, SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on any publicly-owned property in California.  This bill will be heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, April 14. Please contact them and urge them to oppose this bill.  Contact information can be found below.

Senate Bill 250, sponsored by State Senator Dean Florez (D-16), would require that all dogs older than six months be spayed or neutered unless owners acquire an "unaltered" license.  Even if you obtain an “unaltered” license, you may still be required to spay or neuter your dog.  An “unaltered” license may be denied or revoked for the most minor violations of local animal ordinances.  Even the most conscientious and vigilant dog owners have had their dogs escape a home or fenced yard.  If SB250 becomes law and animal control authorities impound the escaped dog, the owner will be required, with no exceptions, to spay or neuter the dog.  This is but one example of the radical provisions within this overreaching legislation.   SB250 is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday, April 15.  It is critical that dog owners voice their opposition. Please contact them and urge them to oppose this bill.  Contact information can be found below.

SB250 is being pushed by radical animal “rights” and anti-hunting organizations and is an affront to our hunting heritage and private property rights. Owners who plan to breed their dogs at some point during their lives would be required to apply to the government for an "unaltered" license. The cost of the license is unspecified.

This legislation threatens to keep hunters and other dog owners from making decisions based upon their own personal circumstances. It would prevent hunters from continuing the tradition of occasionally breeding their favorite dog in order to provide other hunters with good dogs and defray some of the costs associated with caring for their animals. From a financial perspective, the bill discriminates against hunters with limited budgets.

Assembly Bill 357, sponsored by Assembly Member Steve Knight (R-36), would create a “shall issue” concealed handgun permit system in California.  Under current law, an applicant must show cause as to why they should be issued a permit to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense.  AB357 would remove that stipulation and require sheriffs to issue the license if all other mandated criteria are satisfied.  This bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Public Safety and is now scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, April 21.  Please contact them and urge them to support this bill.  Contact information can be found below.

Senate Bill 697, authored by State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-7), will be considered in the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, April 28.  SB697 would prohibit the sale of handguns other than "owner-authorized (or “smart”) handguns" -- that is, handguns with a permanent, programmable biometric feature that renders the firearm useless unless activated by the authorized user.   No proven, viable handgun of this type has ever been developed.  The bill would require the California Attorney General to report to the Governor and Legislature on the availability of owner-authorized handguns; once the Attorney General finds that these guns are available, only “owner-authorized” handguns could be approved for sale in California. Please contact them members of the Senate Public Safety Committee and respectfully urge them to oppose this bill. Contact information can be found below.

ASSEMBLY PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE:

Assembly Member Jose Solorio (D-69) - Chair 
(916) 319-2069
[email protected]  

Assembly Member Curt Hagman (R-60) - Vice Chair 
(916) 319-2060
[email protected]  

Assembly Member Warren T. Furutani (D-55)
(916) 319-2055
[email protected]  

Assembly Member Danny D. Gilmore (R-30)
(916) 319-2030
[email protected]  

Assembly Member Jerry Hill (D-19)
(916) 319-2019
[email protected]  

Assembly Member Fiona Ma (D-12)
(916) 319-2012
[email protected]  

Assembly Member Nancy Skinner (D-14)
(916) 319-2014
[email protected]

SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE:

State Senator Mark Leno (D-3) – Chair
(916) 651-4003
[email protected]

State Senator John J. Benoit (R-37) - Vice-Chair
(916) 651-4037

State Senator Gilbert Cedillo (D-22)
(916) 651-4022

State Senator Loni Hancock (D-9)
(916) 651-4009

State Senator Robert Huff (R-29)
(916) 651-4029

State Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-6)
(916) 651-4006

State Senator Roderick Wright (D-25)
(916) 651-4025

SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE:

State Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-2),Chair
(916) 651-4002

State Senator Dave Cox (R-1), Vice-Chair
(916) 651-4001

State Senator Samuel Aanestad (R-4)
(916) 651-4004

State Senator Christine Kehoe (D-39)
(916) 651-4039

State Senator Lois Wolk (D-5)
(916) 651-4005