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“Gunpocalypse” in California
Photo courtesy @MPHaus.
Today California legislators sent a slate of 11 anti-gun bills to Gov. Jerry Brown for signature. The collection, dubbed “Gunpocalypse” by gun rights group Firearms Policy Coalition, is a broad attack on 2nd Amendment and 14th Amendment rights. Since Gov. Brown is leaving for vacation in less than 48 hours, activists are scrambling to persuade him to veto the bills before he leaves and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom takes over.
While Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon claims lawmakers are “just trying to move forward with reasonable gun legislation,” the measures are anything but reasonable. The bills will:
- Retroactively require serial numbers to be placed on firearms dating back at least 50 years.
- Ban common and constitutionally protected firearms that have magazine locking devices.
- Criminalize loaning of firearms between personally known, law-abiding adults, including sportsmen, family members, and competitors.
- Redefine “firearms” to include objects that are not firearms.
- Ban buying more than one firearm within a 30-day period.
- Make conviction of a non-violent misdemeanor a prohibiting offense.
- Dramatically expand secret “Gun Violence Restraining Orders” to confiscate one’s gun without due process.
- Re-victimize victims by criminalizing the failure to report lost and stolen firearms.
- Restrict ammunition purchases, create a DOJ database of ammunition owners.
- Allow for the confiscation of lawfully acquired, standard capacity ammunition feeding devices.
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) stated, “I think this is a strong statement that we’re sending to the rest of the nation.” Indeed, it is. If these bills are allowed to become law, gun grabbers in Congress will be emboldened and attempt their own versions of these laws.
But the “strong statement” they’re making is not exactly the one Sen. Jackson envisions. At least a few of the bills got through the process using deceptive “gut-and-amend” tactics in which a bill that started as something entirely different, say, an environmental bill, ends up as a gun control measure. Also, Assembly Speaker Rendon changed the voting procedures on the gun bills only. Normally if a member leaves the chamber to use the restroom or take a phone call, and misses the vote, they can go back in and change it. Speaker Rendon changed that today to prohibit members from changing their vote — but only on the gun bills.
By using these tactics lawmakers are simply showing their contempt for regular law-abiding citizens, and they’re not shy about it. They don’t believe citizens can be trusted. Sen. Isadore Hall (D-Compton), told reporters there is “massive bloodshed on the streets because people just can’t be responsible with guns.”
Gov. Brown has vetoed some of these bills in prior legislative sessions when they had been passed by both chambers. If public outcry is loud enough, he may veto some or all of them this year. Firearms Policy Coalition has set up a petition page and is urging people to call Gov. Brown’s office to ask him to veto the gun bills.
As we celebrate freedom this weekend, hopefully Californians will not be mourning the loss of the rights so many fought and died for.
Published in Guns
If you are a gun owner in California, it’s time to call Gov. Brown and make yourself heard. It’s also time to start backing a gun rights organization in the state.
Coming soon to a state near you.
For non-Californians it is important to realize that the only person capable of preventing the Heller decision from being reversed is Donald J. Trump.
If you like your Second Amendment you can keep your Second Amendment – but only by electing Donald J. Trump.
That we are in this position is the cause for much anguish and gnashing of teeth.
Molon Labe.
The tyrants are getting bold.
The poor workman blames his tools.
Sorry, we’ve got a job to do. Enough with the bitching.
Boy am I glad I moved out of there.
Reality in California is that 2A activism consists of running to court to get a restraining order.
Blaming the tools is appropriate if they are unsuited to the job. We’re digging a latrine with a fork.
Why do liberals DEMAND, but conservatives ASK? Ask Moonbeam to veto the bills? It’s time for conservatives to present lists of demands.
If you still live in California, its long past time to leave.
In the Supreme Court’s recent decision about abortion facility legislation, the majority (aka Anthony Kennedy) argued that such restrictions were disingenuous attempts to place an undue burden on the right to an abortion.
I suppose throwing disingenuous attempts to place undue burdens on the Second Amendment right is just different because … well, you know, um … it just is.
true, but the tiny coke spoons we were offered did even less.
When does it ever make sense to make legislation with the intended purpose of “sending a message” to people outside of a jurisdiction or a state? That’s what free speech is about. Writing laws is about sending a message to criminals and people who abuse the law and their liberties in your state. For these people, they know California is a great big megaphone on the West Coast and they intend to use it. Strike while the fire’s hot. These people are anything but compassionate. Their compassion is all in their mouths.
Maybe it’s time for conservatives to start moving back into California to show Californians what real compassion and liberty are about.
Those people should move to America.
You admit, then, that Trump is a tool?
Why, yes, the only “tool” we have to preserve the Second Amendment.
Do you disagree, or simply find that fact, the cold reality that only Donald J. Trump stands between you and those who would overturn Heller, distasteful and worthy only of snark?
Well, here’s another one for you to answer: in light of this week’s SCOTUS decision on abortion which, to use Ann Coulter’s notorious tweet, makes it impermissible to restrict abortions from being performed in the White House, who is the one person in America who can conceivably change that reality?
Name him for me.
Interestingly, the final no-hearing, gun-grabbing bill, AB 2607, deletes the following language from previous versions:
The accompanying “Legislative Counsel’s Digest” contains the following deletion:
In other words, the legislature has deliberately passed a law to make California’s public safety system unfair and unjust and deliberately thumbs its nose at the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
California legislature: “We don’t need no stinkin’ fairness, justice or constitutionality.”
Governor Brown’s phone line is completely overloaded, or perhaps just switched off; it is impossible to get through.
However, you can email him via his web site.
I sent email to the Gov. this morning. I took it as a good sign that the phone line was busy all morning, until I read George’s comment. It’s sad that I wouldn’t put it past his office to just disconnect that number (916-445-2841, BTW.)
It is too late to contact Governor Moonbeam. Here is an article explaining what he signed and what he vetoed. The author of the article is gun-ignorant and incorrectly stated that “bullet bottons” make it easier to remove a magazine. They do exactly the opposite.
If you value your constitutional rights California is probably not the place for you. You’d probably be happier living elsewhere
Technically, you are correct, David. I would assume what the author means is that absent the standard magazine release or the “bullet button” the magazine is fixed and must be loaded one round at a time. The Range Officer at my range can change the “bullet button” magazine almost as fast as the regular magazine release. I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t know that much about newer AR platforms. I purchased my AR back in the nineties and when they were banned I put mine in the safe and used my Ruger Mini-14 for shooting. The Mini-14 is proof of the silliness of this “assault weapon” nonsense. The Mini-14 is basically the same rifle, but has a wood stock. (I want to shoot the television every time Bill O’Reilly asks “do civilians need these military style heavy weapons?” If a guest came on his show and said something equally as stupid he’d be all over him.)
IS IT BECAUSE I’M BLACK?
I’ve lived here my whole life, my family and friends live here, my career is here. It’ll take more than a few busybodies in the state legislature to drive me out of my home.
All weekend Gavin Newsom is spending his time tweeting about how he is going to eliminate civil rights. And the outrage in California seems to be non-existent.
Guys while you can legally
Do it your self Ar 15
Do it your self 1911
This is something I wrestle with, as a transplant from a much more pro-gun state: do I move out of CA and cede it to the left-wing idiots, or do I stay and fight? But given that the state assembly has a super-majority of democrats, and that the Republican party is in bad shape here, I don’t even know where to start to help. Do enough people, who agree with Joseph and me, remain here to be able to reverse things?
Archie,
I hope you stay and fight for this state. One of the reasons I moved back home is to do just that. There are a good number of people who agree with you and Joseph who remain here… I am active in politics here and have found that one of the biggest obstacles is a Stockholm Syndrome among conservatives who have been here through the whole “occupation.” They almost feel like they have to ask permission to from the Dems – or they just completely tune out of politics, figuring nothing they do will help. In 2014 there were a number of big wins – conservatives elected in traditionally Dem areas. The election of State Sen. Andy Vidak in the central valley was huge. It shows that with the right candidate (a super socially conservative candidate will not win here) and the right ground game, we can do it. It will take a while, but it can be done.