California 2014 Legislative Session Expected to Adjourn Soon, Bad Bills Still Active

Please contact your state legislators TODAY urging them to OPPOSE all anti-gun legislation.

Charlotte, NC –-(Ammoland.com)- The 2014 California legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on Sunday, August 31, but it is expected that they will probably try to finish up this Friday, August 29 2014.

Accordingly, it is CRITICAL that you call AND e-mail your state Senator and Assemblyman every day urging them to OPPOSE the anti-gun bills below.

Also, please forward this alert to your family, friends, fellow gun owners and sportsmen in California urging them to contact their state legislators to OPPOSE the anti-gun bills below.  Contact information for your state Senator and Assemblyman can be found here.

The following three anti-gun Assembly bills could be considered on the Senate floor as early as today:

Assembly Bill 1609 would make it a state crime to transport or otherwise import firearms into California that were acquired from out of state, unless the firearms are sent to and transferred through a licensed California firearms dealer.

Assembly Bill 2310 would allow city attorneys in Los Angeles and Sacramento counties to initiate unlawful detainer actions against residents who have been arrested for any firearm-related crime.

Assembly Bill 1014would allow law enforcement officers to acquire an “emergency gun violence restraining order” against any person by showing only “reasonable cause” that the person is dangerous.  Additionally, the bill would allow an “immediate family member” of an individual or a law enforcement officer to petition to have a “gun violence restraining order” issued against an individual. Notably these provisions would prohibit a “dangerous” person from possessing firearms, but would do nothing to help treat the cause of the person’s condition. Current law already provides a mechanism for committing dangerous persons in an emergency situation, which already results in the committed person being prohibited from possessing firearms.  This bill’s low evidentiary standards and lack of a mechanism for individuals to present their own defense before being deprived of their constitutional rights fail to meet American standards for due process of law.  Just as restraining orders are abused in other contexts, the proposed “gun violence restraining orders” can be easily abused and issued in cases where officers lack sufficient evidence for an arrest, but wish to deprive an individual of their right to bear arms.  We all know how hard it is to get something back or even corrected after the government seizes it, so it’s important for gun owners to have the opportunity to put on their own defense before losing their Second Amendment rights.

The following three anti-gun Senate bills could be considered on the Assembly floor as early as today:

Senate Bill 53 would require the collection and reporting of personal consumer information and thumbprinting for all ammunition purchases throughout California.  It would also ban online and mail-order sales of all ammunition, including hunting and collectible ammunition.

Senate Bill 199would remove the BB device exception from the imitation firearm prohibition.  This would effectively prohibit the manufacture, purchase or sale of anything that was previously considered a BB device (including traditional air guns) unless the entire exterior surface of the device is brightly colored or translucent.  Under federal law, airsoft guns are already subject to very specific marking requirements mandated by the federal imitation firearms law.

Senate Bill 808would make it a crime under California law for an individual to manufacture a firearm without first obtaining California Department of Justice approval to do so and subsequently engraving a DOJ-provided serial number on the firearm.  Recently, this legislation was amended to also target 3D printed firearms by requiring exactly 3.7 ounces of 17-4 PH stainless steel to be included in any firearm “manufactured or assembled from polymer plastic.”  Federal law already requires all firearms in the United States be detectable by magnetometer or x-ray screening, so it’s unclear why 3.7 ounces of a very specific and expensive steel must be included in every firearm that individuals make for personal use.  This legislation should be opposed because it will effectively nullify the long-standing and constitutionally protected activity of building one’s own firearms.  Additionally, SB 808 will promote the destruction and devaluation of existing firearms without any tangible public safety benefit.

Some good news: Senate Bill 580 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now considered defeated for the year.  SB 580would have diverted millions of dollars from the “Firearms Safety and Enforcement Fee” (FSE Fee) to fund general law enforcement activities (such as performing law enforcement “contacts” based on the Armed Prohibited Persons System), even though only a minuscule portion of legal firearm purchasers actually end up in that system.  The original purpose of the FSE Fee was to provide funding for training, testing, and other costs directly related to the implementation of the Handgun Safety Certificate program.

With only two weeks left of the 2014 legislative session, it is IMPERATIVE that you contact your state Senator and Assemblyman every day urging them to OPPOSE the anti-gun bills above.  Don’t forget to urge your family, friends, fellow gun owners and sportsmen in California to also call AND e-mail their state Senator and Assemblyman to OPPOSE pending anti-gun bills in Sacramento.

About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org