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Author
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Topic: California pols are at it again...new gun laws proposed
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John91coupe
CAFords OG
Member # 18
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http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_23833928/gun-control-bills-could-push-california-top-firearm
SACRAMENTO -- With summer recess behind them and the legislative session's five-week homestretch ahead, state lawmakers face a fusillade of gun-control bills that could move California far beyond what any other state has enacted -- including proposals to ban a wide range of semi-automatic rifles and impose strict new regulations on ammunition.
And what happens in Sacramento might not stay in Sacramento. With their agenda stalled in Congress, gun-control advocates hope California can break the inertia and reignite the national debate that erupted after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school in December.
"When we see movement on the California bills and the sort of tenacity that you had post-Newtown, it makes it really hard for the gun lobby to say the momentum has gone away. And it's certainly something Congress pays attention to," said Kristin Rand, legislative director at the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C. "You can't underestimate how important it is for Congress to see movement in the states, especially big states like California."
Nonsense, gun-rights supporters say.
"While they may try to reignite their lost momentum, I don't think anything California does is going to affect what Washington does," said Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms trade group coincidentally based in Newtown. "We constantly see a barrage of anti-gun, anti-industry legislation being introduced in California, far more than in any other state."
The state Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday will hear bills already passed by the Assembly that would create a state database of all ammunition purchases, make it a crime to have a gun that's not locked up when not being carried, and extend the time for which someone is banned from owning firearms after making a violent threat.
The next day, the Assembly
Public Safety Committee will hear bills already passed by the state Senate that would ban all semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, make it a crime to leave a gun unlocked when you're out of the house and require those who own high-capacity magazines to get rid of them.
And while a few bills -- such as a 10 percent tax on ammunition and a ban on using lead ammunition for hunting -- now seem less likely to advance, many others are waiting to be heard in coming weeks. So gun control will be at the fore even as lawmakers grapple with about 1,000 bills on such subjects as health care reform, fracking and environmental regulations.
"We're going to be open to amendments and suggestions from the administration and the Assembly, but we think we've hit the sweet spot in a lot of these areas," state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told this newspaper.
"I don't have any illusion that whatever any state does, even California, will have an impact on the intransigence on Capitol Hill around some of these issues," but that's no reason to stand down, he said. "We ought to do everything we can to protect the people of our state from some of these horrible things that have happened."
Assembly Speaker John Perez said last week he was struck by gun advocates' recent claims that a huge increase in gun ownership over recent decades -- and not California's increasingly strict gun laws -- contributed to a decrease in gun crimes.
"That means California can continue to have very strict gun-control laws and not infringe on people's individual rights to purchase guns," said Perez, D-Los Angeles. "I'm also a gun owner, and so I'm always very thoughtful about how you balance safety concerns and the law-enforcement concerns of gun control with the individual rights of gun owners."
The gun issue has been put on the back burner in Congress since April, when the Senate rejected a bipartisan plan to require background checks for firearms sold at gun shows and online. But a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently said it's "almost certain" Congress will take up background checks again in 2014.
"States aren't waiting for Congress to act, however," said Juliet Leftwich, legal director at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. "They're standing up to the gun lobby, and they're responding to the public's call for common-sense gun laws."
Her San Francisco-based group has answered lawmakers' and activists' requests for aid in 25 states this year, she said. And in the absence of uniform national laws "it's really important that states step up and do what they can," she added. "Hopefully action at the state level will help create momentum for meaningful federal action."
Even by the standards of California -- which for decades had the nation's strictest gun laws, until New York leapfrogged ahead after the Newtown massacre -- the sheer number of pending gun bills is staggering, Leftwich said.
Chuck Michel, an attorney for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, said he isn't surprised. California lawmakers, he said, have pursued "civilian disarmament" for years, and "this year's extremist legislative package proves that the threat of the slippery slope is all too real."
"None of the proposed bills will truly reduce the misuse of firearms by violent criminals or the mentally ill," Michel said. "Although politicians coached by the gun-ban lobby have practiced the emotionally appealing anti-gun sound bite, sound social policy is not effectuated by knee-jerk emotional reactions like these."
However hot the Legislature's debate, which bills become law ultimately depends on Gov. Jerry Brown, who won't comment on bills before they reach his desk and has been an enigma on gun control.
He already has signed one of state Senate Democrats' top firearm priorities this year: a law diverting surplus money from background-check fees to beef up the Armed Prohibited Persons System that's used to find and seize guns from felons and the mentally ill. He also signed into law a 2011 bill extending the state's registration requirements for handguns and assault weapons to all long guns starting in 2014. And he signed a 2011 ban on the "open carry" of unloaded handguns, as well as a 2012 bill extending that ban to long guns.
But Brown, himself a gun owner, delighted the gun lobby by vetoing a 2012 bill that would have made it a crime to fail to report a firearm's theft or loss to police within 48 hours. He wasn't convinced it would help catch gun traffickers or disarm criminals.
As attorney general, Brown in 2009 even filed a brief siding with the National Rifle Association in a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging Chicago's handgun ban, expressing concern that "California citizens could be deprived of the constitutional right to possess handguns in their homes."
That's cause for hope, Keane said.
"The governor in the past has demonstrated independence,'' he said. "He is not reflexively anti-gun and will listen to sound policy arguments."
Josh Richman covers politics. Contact him at 510-208-6428. Follow him at Twitter.com/josh_richman. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.
Where gun bills stand
Senate Bill 374 by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, bans all semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines and retroactively requires ownership records for all guns. It passed the state Senate 23-15 on May 29 and will be heard Tuesday by the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Senate Bill 53 by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, requires a background check for all ammunition purchases and licenses for all sellers. It passed the state Senate 23-15 on May 29 and is now pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Senate Bill 47 by state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, prohibits so-called bullet buttons and other devices used to circumvent the state’s assault-weapons ban and allow fast reloading. It passed the state Senate 23-15 on May 29 and is to be heard Tuesday by the Assembly Public Safety.
Senate Bill 396 by state Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, outlaws magazines holding more than 10 rounds, even those that were grandfathered in under the state’s assault-weapons law. It passed the state Senate 25-14 on May 29 and is to be heard Tuesday by the Assembly Public Safety.
Assembly Bill 48 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, creates a state database to track all ammo purchases and makes it illegal to build your own high-capacity magazines. It passed the Assembly 46-26 on May 29 and is to be heard Monday by Senate Appropriations.
Assembly Bill 187 by Assemblymen Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, and Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, levies 10 percent tax on all ammo to benefit crime-prevention and mental-health services for children. It is languishing in Assembly Appropriations’ suspense file.
Assembly Bill 711 by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, D-South Gate, would ban use of lead ammunition by California hunters. It passed the Assembly 44-21 on May 16 and is now languishing in state Senate Appropriations’ suspense file.
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D-2R ProCharged R302 331
1.410 60 ft.
5.784 @ 122.92 1/8
8.953 @ 155.08
MM&FF Feature June 2003
Posts: 1361 | From: Grass Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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351w
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Member # 11875
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Move to Texas! I did!
Posts: 1018 | From: 510 | Registered: Apr 2012
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PeNiNsula302
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Member # 1061
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quote:
Originally posted by TEXAS:
Move to Texas! I did!
Smart man. I'm trying to convince my lady that it's time to get out of here.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Mar 2002
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John91coupe
CAFords OG
Member # 18
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by TEXAS:
Move to Texas! I did!
Thinking about it. But probably scout Arizona/Scottsdale area. I was surprised to learn that AZ is even more gun friendly then TX. We lived there for a few years back in the mid 70's. Love the desert.
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D-2R ProCharged R302 331
1.410 60 ft.
5.784 @ 122.92 1/8
8.953 @ 155.08
MM&FF Feature June 2003
Posts: 1361 | From: Grass Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Robb
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Member # 9444
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I'd rather shoot myself than live in a hot boring desert like Texas or Arizona just be able to carry around a gun.
I still have my pistol and its still tucked away for that life or death situation.
Posts: 2467 | From: Sacramento,CA | Registered: Sep 2009
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John91coupe
CAFords OG
Member # 18
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by Robb:
I'd rather shoot myself than live in a hot boring desert like Texas or Arizona just be able to carry around a gun.
I still have my pistol and its still tucked away for that life or death situation.
Wouldn't be moving out of CA to carry a gun around. Cali politics is getting way to left wing for me, not to mention the gun restriction laws that will eventually outlaw most everything I own. Me, I love the isolation of the desert and the temperature is not much different from Sac/GV. It's a dry heat ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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D-2R ProCharged R302 331
1.410 60 ft.
5.784 @ 122.92 1/8
8.953 @ 155.08
MM&FF Feature June 2003
Posts: 1361 | From: Grass Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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SLOWBACK 67
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Member # 6348
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I wish we could just bad liberals. Things would be a lot better without them. ![[patriot]](graemlins/patriot.gif)
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Originally posted by turbo50:
I have no intenions of keeping anyones parts or taking anyones money.
Posts: 8582 | From: Vallejo | Registered: Dec 2005
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2T0NE
Go 49ers
Member # 4216
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I like the high values of my property and love the weather. cant beat cali ...people dream of living here..im not going anywhere . Ill own guns and cars as i like , even if it means illegally , fuck it why not, criminals do
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Originally posted by x Raelsmar x:
Can't wait till the Giants lose tomorrow night so all you Giants fans are forced to shut the fuck up.
Posts: 14676 | From: 760 carlsbad | Registered: Mar 2004
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Robb
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Member # 9444
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quote:
Originally posted by 2T0NE:
I like the high values of my property and love the weather. cant beat cali ...people dream of living here..im not going anywhere . Ill own guns and cars as i like , even if it means illegally , fuck it why not, criminals do
+1. Ask anyone in the US right now where they would rather be. I bet you 90% of country would have CA in their top 3. Doesnt get any better than this. All around, CA is the best state in the country.
Posts: 2467 | From: Sacramento,CA | Registered: Sep 2009
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Wildfire532FB
CAFords OG
Member # 1482
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by Robb:
I'd rather shoot myself than live in a hot boring desert like Texas or Arizona just be able to carry around a gun.
I still have my pistol and its still tucked away for that life or death situation.
It snows in Arizona and they have some nice forests.
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68 Fastback
84 CJ7
94 HMMWV
95 GT
03 F350
17 Fusion Hybrid
Posts: 17578 | From: 530 | Registered: Jun 2002
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Wildfire532FB
CAFords OG
Member # 1482
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by Robb:
quote:
Originally posted by 2T0NE:
I like the high values of my property and love the weather. cant beat cali ...people dream of living here..im not going anywhere . Ill own guns and cars as i like , even if it means illegally , fuck it why not, criminals do
+1. Ask anyone in the US right now where they would rather be. I bet you 90% of country would have CA in their top 3. Doesnt get any better than this. All around, CA is the best state in the country.
I don't think its as high as you think it is on people dreaming to be here. On my other car forums people bag on CA all the time, they think we're all nuts for living here with our high taxes, high gas prices, high priced everything and politicians that tell YOU when you can wipe your own ass cause we can't make up our own mind.
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68 Fastback
84 CJ7
94 HMMWV
95 GT
03 F350
17 Fusion Hybrid
Posts: 17578 | From: 530 | Registered: Jun 2002
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351w
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Member # 11875
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TEXAS FTW!!!
Posts: 1018 | From: 510 | Registered: Apr 2012
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Boss 327
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Member # 9143
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by Wildfire532FB:
quote:
Originally posted by Robb:
quote:
Originally posted by 2T0NE:
I like the high values of my property and love the weather. cant beat cali ...people dream of living here..im not going anywhere . Ill own guns and cars as i like , even if it means illegally , fuck it why not, criminals do
+1. Ask anyone in the US right now where they would rather be. I bet you 90% of country would have CA in their top 3. Doesnt get any better than this. All around, CA is the best state in the country.
I don't think its as high as you think it is on people dreaming to be here. On my other car forums people bag on CA all the time, they think we're all nuts for living here with our high taxes, high gas prices, high priced everything and politicians that tell YOU when you can wipe your own ass cause we can't make up our own mind.
+1. When I was in the military, 95% of the guys hated California. The only nice thing they had to say about it was the weather.
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"You'll never truly understand building engines until you can make power N/A. FI overshadows an engines defficiency." Al Papito
Posts: 1789 | From: East Bay | Registered: May 2009
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fstryde3
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Member # 8436
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I think the statements about CA were relevant about 10-20 years ago. Yes we do have great weather and women and sights but there is plenty of that in other states too and our home values here suck!
And on the subject of TX when I was stationed there I absolutely loved it, the great thing about TX and even NV AZ OK, hell most states, is you can have your car modified however you like, own all the guns you want and there are plenty of hot women too! Hell in TX even the liberal democrats love their guns.
Posts: 2950 | From: Sacramento | Registered: Jun 2008
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PeNiNsula302
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Member # 1061
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by fstryde3:
I think the statements about CA were relevant about 10-20 years ago. Yes we do have great weather and women and sights but there is plenty of that in other states too and our home values here suck!
And on the subject of TX when I was stationed there I absolutely loved it, the great thing about TX and even NV AZ OK, hell most states, is you can have your car modified however you like, own all the guns you want and there are plenty of hot women too! Hell in TX even the liberal democrats love their guns.
Spot on. In regard to the weather, most of these "hot boring deserts" have incredibly pleasant weather outside of June through August - some of the best cruising weather in my opinion, can't beat warm desert nights.
Tons of new development, everything's bright and clean, and you can own/build the house of your dreams for an incredibly affordable price, which is out of the question for most of us on the peninsula.
Unless your beach crazy, what's the big draw to staying here? Aside from the ridiculous left wing agenda, of course.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Mar 2002
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warhorse58gt
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Member # 7702
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Nothing but the weather is worth a shit in Ca. That simple. 99% of the people live her are pos stuck up snobs or worthless ass thugs. I can't wait to leave this shit hole. Crime is thru the roof. Taxes are just as bad as crime. More fucking retarded laws turning Gun owners into felons. Only thing I will miss about this state is the year round racing.
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WOLFPACK RACING
With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'.
83gt 354ci sbf 9.40 @ 143
77 cobra 2 171ci 97hp of pure fury!
Posts: 4200 | From: 209 | Registered: Jun 2007
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