Ten New Anti-Gun Laws Headed For Committee

OK, liberals hate guns... We get that.  Liberals don't recognize or believe in the Second Amendment... We get that too. And we understand how as "true believers" their goal is for everyone to live together in harmony playing ecologically manufactured bongos and guitars while singing Kumbayah.

And yes, we also get how with their present legislature majority, said liberals could easily pass a bill banning ham sandwiches if they wanted, and Jerry Brown would happily sign it into law. But that still fails to excuse their flooding the California legislature with poorly thought out and constitutionally inept bills, just because they can!

The following bills (brought forth by the usual anti-gun suspects) are headed into their respective committees this month. And again as usual, not one of these bills will do anything to address actual gun violence or crime. But amazingly, each has come up with even more ways to create criminals out of law abiding citizens, and further violate the Second Amendment as upheld by SCOTUS decisions.

The worst part is how every bill listed is an "unfunded mandate" that will factually cost both our State and local municipalities Millions upon Millions of tax dollars we either don't have, or that vitally needs to be put to good use elsewhere. Not to mention the non-reimbursable implementation and enforcement costs to local law enforcement agencies, each having to detail officers to perform administrative busy work, when they could be on the streets chasing real bad guys.

Regardless of your stand on guns, has not California suffered enough from far too many agenda driven unfunded mandates as it is? And what about these same liberals prior great idea "AB-109"? Letting thousands of violent criminals out of jail and back onto our streets, only to once again prey on the innocent. How well is that working for us? Or was their actual intention to make room in the prisons for all the otherwise law abiding citizens each of the proposed laws below would eventually turn into criminals?

So please, take the time to call and write your State Representatives and tell them enough tax dollar wasting unfunded mandates are enough. That these bills are poorly written and will do nothing to prevent another Sandy Hook, Columbine or any other act of insane violence.

AB 711 BANS the use of all lead ammunition for hunting.

• Unlike shot shells, there are few if any non-lead rifle rounds.
• Will scare hunters out of CA to hunt elsewhere.
• Lose CA Fish & Game MILLIONS of funding from hunting license fees.
• Wreak environmental havoc from the loss if much needed feral herd and predator culling.
• Will result in Millions spent hiring contractors to cull herds and predators that hunters presently PAY for the privilege of doing.

SB 47 Expands the definition of “assault weapons” to BAN the future sale of rifles equipped to use the “bullet button” or similar device, requires NEW “assault weapon” registration of ALL semi-auto rifles currently possessed, and subjects these firearms to all other “assault weapons” restrictions.

• Bans or forces registration of your kid's semi-auto .22LR sport rifle by erroneously redefining it as an assault rifle.
• Lose CA MILLIONS in sales taxes from rifle & ammo sales.
• Cost CA MILLIONS to build & maintain the database, where CA DOJ is already overwhelmed with gun sale backgrounds as it is.
• Does not protect/secure the list to prevent abuse.

SB 48 Criminalizes any transfer of even one round of ammunition by anyone other than a licensed ammo or firearms dealer.

• Violation includes a father handing ammo to a son/daughter at the range.
• Will end all ammo sales by bait shops and convenience stores.
• Will effectively disenfranchise inner city ammo buyers.

SB 53 Requires persons to buy an annual ammunition purchase permit, requires the registration and thumbprint of the purchaser for each ammunition purchase, and bans online and mail order sales of ammunition to Californians.

• Will cost CA MILLIONS to develop & maintain the database.
• Will cost CA even more MILLIONS to provide dealers with fingerprint scanners, and potentially triple that cost if paper forms are to be manually filed and overseen one at a time.
• Nothing in the bill secures the list against FOIA requests that could be misused.
• Violates free commerce.
• If CA can afford to enact such restrictions on an otherwise legal & constitutional act, then why not require Voter ID that will cost the State zero dollars to enact? Are not the arguments against enacting both the same?

SB 108 Requires mandatory locked storage of firearms within a locked house regardless of whether anyone is present.

• This bill is totally unenforceable without direct violation of the 4th Amendment.

SB 293 BANS the sale of conventional handguns, if the state Department of Justice approves the sale of “Owner Authorized – Smart” handgun technology.

• To date such technology does not exist, nor is it likely to exist in the near future.
• In order to ban all handguns within the state, all the "appointed head of DOJ" has to do is "approve the sale of smart guns", even though they don't exist.

SB299 Turns victims of firearm theft into criminals for failing to report the loss of their firearm within 48 hours.

• Does not take into account the victim's discovery of the missing gun(s) more than 48 hours after the theft occurred.

SB374 Expands the definition of "assault weapons" to BAN the future transfer of all semi-auto rifles that accept detachable magazines (including those chambered for rimfire cartridges) and virtually all semi-auto rifles with fixed magazines (primarily those chambered for rimfire cartridges), requires NEW "assault weapon" registration, requires registration of ALL those semi-auto rifles that are currently possessed to retain legal possession in the future, and subjects these firearms to all other "assault weapon" restrictions.

• Will ban or force registration of your kid's semi-auto .22LR sporting rifle by erroneously redefining it as an assault rifle.
• Lose CA MILLIONS in sales taxes from gun & ammo sales.
• Cost CA MILLIONS to build & maintain the database, where CA DOJ is already overwhelmed with gun sale backgrounds as it is.
• Does not protect/secure the list to prevent abuse.

SB 396 BANS the POSSESSION of any magazine with a capacity to accept more than ten cartridges, including currently legally possessed "grandfathered large capacity” magazines.

• CA already has a ten round magazine restriction.

SB 755 Expands the list of persons prohibited from owning a firearm.

• Places persons onto prohibited list(s) without their constitutional right to due process.
• Also bans persons from public meetings and political functions without their constitutional right to due process.

Editor's Note: Jeffrey Sabatini is based in Redlands, Calif.