Please Continue Contacting Your State Assembly Member!
Today, Wednesday, May 28, the Assembly passed Assembly Bill 2948 by a vote of 41-25. Sponsored by State Assembly Member Mark Leno (D-13), AB2948 seeks to ban the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace. The bill now heads to the Senate for its consideration.
Assembly Bills 2235 and 2062 are still awaiting a vote by the Assembly. A vote on these bills could come any day.
Assembly Bill 2235 would prohibit the sale of handguns other than "owner-authorized (or “smart”) handguns" -- that is, handguns with a permanent, programmable biometric feature that renders the firearm useless unless activated by the authorized user. No proven, viable handgun of this type has ever been developed. Introduced by Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier (D-11), AB2235 would require the Attorney General to report to the Governor and Legislature on the availability of owner-authorized handguns; once the Attorney General finds that these guns are available, only “owner-authorized” handguns could be approved for sale in California.
Assembly Bill 2062, authored by State Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), would make it a crime to privately transfer more than 50 rounds of ammunition per month, even between family and friends, unless you are registered as a “handgun ammunition vendor” in the Department of Justice’s database. Ammunition retailers would have to be licensed and store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. The bill would also require vendors to keep a record of the transaction including the ammunition buyer’s name, driver’s license, the quantity, caliber, type of ammunition purchased, and right thumbprint, which would be submitted to the Department of Justice. All ammunition sales in the state of California would be subject to a $3 per transaction tax. Lastly, mail order ammunition sales would be prohibited. Any violator of AB2062 would be subject to civil fines. AB2062 was amended to remove the requirement that law-abiding gun owners obtain a permit to purchase handgun ammunition.
Please continue contacting your State Assembly Member and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB2235, and AB2062. Also, please contact your State Senator and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB2948 when it comes before them for a vote. Contact information for your State Assembly Member and Senator can be found by clicking here.