On June 21, the Assembly Public Safety Committee passed Assembly Bill 1511 on a party-line vote. Thank you to Assembly Member Melendez and Lackey for supporting law-abiding gun owners and opposing AB 1511. This bill was part of the "gut and amend" package that has been fast tracked through the legislative process. AB 1511, unlike the other “gut and amend” bills, was required to be considered for a policy hearing because the subject matter had not been previously considered in a Assembly policy committee.
AB 1511 would effectively end the long-standing practice of temporarily loaning a firearm for lawful purposes. Under this legislation the ability to loan a firearm to anyone other than a family member would now be prohibited, absent limited exceptions, unless conducted through a dealer. This legislation is not anymore of a deterrent to criminals than current law, as possession by prohibited persons is already illegal. Instead, the real impact is on the law-abiding. A loan and return of a firearm under this legislation would require four trips to a gun store, two ten day waiting periods and two separate transfer fees, with no tangible benefit to public safety.
Further, this legislation appears to be self serving to Bloomberg and other anti-gun groups who have been pushing similar misguided measures in other states. California’s long-standing temporary loan provision to so-called “universal" background checks has been a thorn in their side as they have struggled to explain to other states, such as Nevada, why their proposals are more restrictive than what is currently allowed for in California. Rather than continue their struggle, the answer was simple, continue to erode the rights of Californians by making the temporary transfer laws even tighter and unworkable.
This legislation will now be considered as a concurrence item by the Assembly. Please contact your state Assembly Member by using our TAKE ACTION button below and urge them to OPPOSE AB 1511.
Don’t forget to forward this alert to your family, friends, fellow gun owners and sportsmen.
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