ALERT via Gun Owners of California / Need your action now!

http://www.gunownersca.com/news/news-current/item/2268-alert

LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT!!!

Five Anti-gun Bills to Oppose

There are 5 major bills that are currently moving through the legislative process. Your immediate action is needed to help stop all of these bills from passing! Thankfully, the legislature is currently on summer recess. All action on these bills will take place after August 15 and before September 9, so please contact them soon.

Contact your local legislators, and especially the members of the corresponding committees listed below, and ask them to oppose these bills. It is critical that members of the legislature hear from you so that they will know the importance of voting “No”. Many are newly elected to the legislature and they need the guidance of their constituents and other members of the public.

Anti-Gun Bill #1

AB 809 (Feuer) Firearms - Would require registration with the Department of Justice of rifle and shotgun sales, and other transfers, making the Department’s registry of information about rifles and shotguns, and their owners, the same as for handguns.

Position: Oppose; Location: Senate Appropriations Committee.

CONTACT IN OPPOSITION TO AB 809:

Senate Committee on Appropriations:

Democratic Senators:

Chair: Christine Kehoe (San Diego)

916-651-4039

Elaine Alquist (Santa Clara)

916-651-4013

Kevin De Leon (Los Angeles)

916-651-4022

Fran Pavley (Agoura Hills)

916-651-4023

Curren Price (Los Angeles)

916-651-4026

Darrell Steinberg (Sacramento)

916-651-4006

Republican Senators:

Vice Chair: Mimi Walters (Laguna Niguel)

916-651-4033

Bill Emmerson (Riverside)

916-651-4037

Mark Wyland. (Escondido)

916-651-4038

Anti-Gun Bill #2

SB 124 (De León) Ammunition – Would redefine the term “handgun ammunition” to mean any ammunition “capable” of being used in a handgun. Accordingly, all rifle ammunition cartridges than can be fired in a handgun, such as the Thompson Contender, would be classified as handgun ammunition.

Handgun ammunition “designed” to penetrate metal or armor would be redefined to mean any ammunition, except a shotgun shell, that is designed to penetrate a body vest or body shield when discharged from a handgun and which, by virtue of its shape, cross-sectional density, or any coating applied thereto, is manufactured or designed to breach or penetrate a body vest or body shield (armor piercing). This definition is imperfect and would require interpretation, likely by the Department of Justice or the courts.

Depending upon how the term is interpreted, SB 124 could make it a felony to possess most popular center fire rifle ammunition, as virtually all can be discharged in at least one model of hunting or competition pistol, and all are designed with an aerodynamic shape and cross sectional density sufficient for hunting, competition and other lawful purposes, that would enable the penetration of a body vest or body shield.

When combined with other provisions of existing law, SB 124 would result in any rifle cartridge that can be used in a handgun also being subject to the handgun ammunition buyer registration provisions. The registration law was declared in court to be unconstitutional as written, but SB 124 would re-write the unconstitutional provisions in a manner to make it operational.

Thus, if SB 124 is passed and becomes law, a hunter or other rifle ammunition buyer would be required to register his or her thumbprint and personal information at the time of purchase in order to buy either handgun or rifle ammunition that can be used in a handgun (providing that SB 124 is later amended so that rifle ammunition is clearly defined not to be armor piercing). Position: Oppose; Location: Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Anti-Gun Bill #3

SB 819 (Leno) Firearms – Would allow the firearms buyer’s background check money (DROS Fee) to be used to fund the Department of Justice’s firearms-related regulatory and enforcement activities dealing with the illegal possession of firearms by persons not lawfully eligible to possess them. This would be a misuse of the DROS fee. It is intended to fund the background check for prospective firearms purchasers.Position: Oppose; Location: Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Please note that both Bill 2 and Bill 3 are in the Assembly Appropriation Committee. You can use one phone call to oppose both bills!

CONTACT IN OPPOSITION TO SB 124 (Bill #2) and SB 819 (Bill #3):

Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

Democratic Assemblymembers:

Chair: Felipe Fuentes (Los Angeles)

916-319-2039

Robert Blumenfield (Van Nuys)

916-319-2040

Steven Bradford (Inglewood)

916-319-2051

Charles Calderon (Whittier)

916-319-2058

Nora Campos (San Jose)

916-319-2023

Mike Davis (Los Angeles)

916-319-2048

Mike Gatto (Burbank)

916-319-2043

Isadore Hall (Los Angeles)

916-319-2052

Jerry Hill (South San Francisco)

916-319-2019

Ricardo Lara (South Gate)

916-319-2050

Holly Mitchell (Los Angeles)

916-319-2047

Jose Solorio (Santa Ana)

916-319-2069

Republican Assemblymembers:

Vice-Chair: Diane Harkey (Laguna Niguel)

916-319-2073

Tim Donnelly (Hesperia)

916-319-2059

Jim Nielsen (Biggs)\

916-319-2002

Chris Norby (Fullerton)

916-319-2072

Donald Wagner (Irvine)

916-319-2070

Anti-Gun Bill #4

SB 427 (De León) Ammunition – Existing law (AB 962, declared in court to be unconstitutionally vague) requires handgun ammunition vendors, when selling or otherwise transferring ownership of any handgun ammunition, to obtain personal information about the purchaser or transferee (handgun ammunition buyer registration).

SB 427 is an attempt to help resolve the unconstitutionally vague provisions of AB 962 and to add new provisions affecting purchasers and retailers of handgun ammunition.

Existing law provides that the delivery or transfer of ownership of handgun ammunition may only occur in a face-to-face transaction with the deliverer or transferor being provided bona fide evidence of identity from the purchaser or other transferee.

This bill would also provide that handgun ammunition may be purchased over the internet or through other means of remote ordering only if a handgun ammunition vendor in California initially receives the ammunition and registers the transfer.

SB 427 was recently amended to define handgun ammunition for purposes of the handgun ammunition buyer’s registry by creating a list of calibers of various popular handgun cartridges, several of which are also rifle calibers. Position: Oppose; Location: Assembly Floor.

Anti-Gun Bill #5

SB 798 (De León) Firearms: BB devices: imitation firearms – Would originally have required Airsoft, BB and Pellet guns to be brightly colored in their entirety, just like toys.

The bill failed passage in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, largely because federal law preempts state laws affecting airsoft, paintball, BB, and pellet guns (BB devices). Reconsideration was granted by the committee, and the bill was subsequently amended in an attempt to get around the federal preemption issue.

All previous language was stricken from the bill and, in its place, a repeal of the state preemption over local laws dealing with the manufacture, sale and possession of BB devices was inserted.

If passed in this form, each local government could adopt different ordinances governing the above, except for coloration, identification marks and a complete prohibition on sales, which are federally preempted. For example, they could pass local laws on where and how BB devices could be possessed, how they are sold, power limitations, mandatory safety equipment, and other features, etc!

Accordingly, a person traveling with a BB device through several local jurisdictions could be in and out of violation of local laws multiple times, and subject to penalties, without even knowing about it.

Without the statewide uniformity now provided by state preemption over local laws, it would be virtually impossible to stay in compliance with the different local laws of various local governments. That’s why it is so important that laws dealing with all types of guns be uniform statewide!Position: Oppose; Status: Assembly Floor.

Please note that both Bill #4 and Bill #5 are on the Assembly Floor. Please use one phone call to your own Assembly Member to oppose both bills! These bills when passed will go back to their house of origin. Please contact your Senator as well as your Assembly Member about these two bills.

CONTACT IN OPPOSITION TO SB 427 (Bill #4) and SB 798 (Bill #5):

WEBSITE FOR ASSEMBLY MEMBERS CONTACT INFORMATION:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/asm-addresses.html

WEBSITE FOR SENATOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/sen-addresses.html

TO LOCATE YOUR ASSEMBLYMEMBER/SENATOR BY YOUR ZIPCODE:

Please go to http://192.234.213.69/amapsearch/framepage.asp.

Scroll down the map of California and enter your street address, city and zip code in the boxes below; click on “Find”. Your Assemblymember and contact information will then be available.

GOC is working closely with many of our friends including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, California Association of Firearms Retailers, Safari Club International and a whole bunch of sportsmen’s groups to defeat these bills. Thank you for helping to protect our Second Amendment Rights!!