SB 249 was amended from an agriculture bill into a very serious anti-gun bill to eliminate the ownership and possession of most semi-automatic firearms by law-abiding Californians. SB 249, introduced by state Senator Leland Yee (D-8), would restrict any person from importing, making, selling, loaning, transferring or possessing magazine release components in semi-auto firearms (bullet button, etc).
But this nonsensical bill does not stop there in trying to eliminate semi-automatic firearms in California. SB 249 would make the possession of a "conversion kit" a public nuisance, authorize civil and criminal penalties and require surrendering the conversion kit. According to this bill, a conversion kit is any combination of parts that, when affixed to a firearm with a fixed magazine, are designed and intended to convert that firearm into an “assault weapon” as defined in the bill. SB 249 is currently being amended again and no one is clear on what amended language will ultimately be voted on. Regardless of what this bill looks like in the end, SB 249 is a pure anti-gun bill and MUST BE DEFEATED.
SB 249 is expected to be heard and voted on tomorrow in the Assembly Public Safety Committee. This is also the deadline for ALL legislation to pass or fail in the state Senate and Assembly policy committees for the 2012 legislative session. Members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee need to hear from ALL California gun owners and sportsmen urging them to OPPOSE SB 249. Contact information for these committee members can be found here. Senator Yee also needs to hear from California gun owners expressing their opposition to SB 249 and urge him to pull it from the agenda. Senator Yee can be reached at 916-651-4008 and by e-mail here or at Senator.Yee@senate.ca.gov.
California has over 950 firearm laws on its books and criminals do not respect any of them. Please urge members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee on to protect the Second Amendment rights of California’s law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen and OPPOSE SB 249.
Also tomorrow, the state Senate Committee on Public Safety is scheduled to hear two anti-gun bills: Assembly Bill 2549 and Assembly Bill 2460.
AB 2549, introduced by Assemblyman Isadore Hall (D-52), would allow only a law enforcement officer who has honorably retired to request to retain their personally owned and regulated firearms. If an officer should leave for any other reason, their personally owned regulated firearms will be confiscated and/or surrendered for disposal. The NRA is opposed to confiscation of firearms and this will only lead to further legislation trying to confiscate firearms.
AB 2460, introduced by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson (D-9), would ban law enforcement officers from transferring handguns that are not on California’s approved “roster” to anyone but law enforcement officers. Currently, California law allows for the transfer of firearms that are not on the approved "roster" to be transferred to law-abiding civilians. These transfers must go through a licensed firearms dealer and are only transferred when the new civilian owner has passed a criminal background check.
Please contact members of the state Senate Public Safety Committee and urge them to OPPOSE AB 2549 and AB 2460. Committee member contact information can be found here.
Finally, Senate Bill 1315 failed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on June 26. Unfortunately, it was approved to be reconsidered by the same committee and will also be heard tomorrow. SB 1315, introduced by anti-gun extremist state Senator Kevin de León (D-22), is just a stepping stone to completely destroying California’s firearm preemption law. Firearm preemption laws are in place to standardize firearm laws across the state. This critical law keeps law-abiding gun owners from being placed in jeopardy of running afoul of local restrictions they don`t even know exist simply because they have crossed from one municipality to another.
Please contact members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee and urge them to AGAIN OPPOSE SB 1315. Contact information for this committee can be found here.
Don’t forget to forward this alert to your family, friends and fellow gun owners in California asking them to contact members of the above state Assembly and Senate committees, urging them to OPPOSE SB 249, AB 2549, AB 2460 and SB 1315.
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