Victory for Gun Owners in California!

Thank You for Your Hard Work and Support!

Yesterday, Tuesday, August 31, lawmakers in the Golden State heard loud and clear the voices of pro-gun advocates when they defeated three dangerous pieces of anti-gun legislation.

Assembly Bill 1810 would have established a registration system, similar to the one currently in place for handguns, for all newly-acquired long guns.  Under AB1810, the make, model and serial number of the firearm as well as the identifying information of the purchaser would have been recorded and kept on file by the California Attorney General’s office. 

If AB1810 were enacted, violent criminals would have continued doing what they do now – obtain firearms through illegal means.  This bill would not have decreased crime but would have rather had disastrous effects on the already financially unstable Golden State.  AB1810 would have imposed additional burdens on California’s taxpayers to maintain the registration system as well as on the state’s licensed firearms dealers, small businesses who already deal with extensive business requirements. 

Assembly Bill 1934 was a blatant attack on the self-defense rights of law-abiding Californians.  This legislation sought to outlaw the open carrying of a handgun for self-defense.

AB1934 was a knee-jerk reaction by anti-gun legislators to punish citizens for engaging in the legal act of openly carrying an unloaded handgun.  In reality, the open carrying of firearms by law-abiding citizens is forced by California's unfair concealed carry law, which allows some citizens from some counties to receive a permit to carry, while their neighbors in the next county are denied that basic right for political, not public safety, reasons.

Assembly Bill 2358 was intended to “clean-up” and address problems encountered with the passage of AB962 in 2009.  Make no mistake about it; this bill did nothing to improve AB962 for California’s gun owners.  In fact, it would have made things far worse.  AB2358 was even recently amended to include common rifle ammunition like .223 and 7.62 x 39. 

AB2358 would have forced licensed state ammunition retailers to obtain a special local license to operate in municipalities.  These retailers would also have been required to notify local law enforcement before conducting business within their jurisdiction. 

Moreover, this bill mandated that ammunition retailers submit sales records to local law enforcement agencies and allowed them to maintain those records indefinitely.  It did not require the same privacy and destruction requirements mandated for state ammunition vendors.

Passage of AB2358 would have made it difficult for ammunition retailers to sell ammunition at sporting events and gun shows.  It would also have left law abiding Californian gun owners vulnerable to identity theft and political persecution by local, anti-gun politicians.

Thank you to all of the NRA members who answered the call to oppose these bills.  Without you, success in these battles would not have been possible.  While this is certainly a momentous occasion for California’s gun owners, anti-gun forces are sure to continue their offensive against our rights.  Please be sure to check your email and www.NRAILA.org for updates on Second Amendment issues in California.