Does the bill provide exemption for law enforcement?
I looked at the draft bill, but can't tell for sure without infinite cross-referencing. Appears to apply the same as the drop test and "approved safe" list. Are LE firearms currently exempt from those requirements?
Short answer: yes, LE is exempt.
Slightly longer answer: as you suggest, since the implementation method is adding a requirement to get on the Roster of Handguns, and LE is not restricted to handguns on the Roster, this bill will have no effect on LEOs.
Which, of course, is pretty silly - LEOs have their guns stolen, too. LEOs have been known to buy off-Roster handguns, and at some future date sell such a thing to a non-LEO in a legal private party transfer (PPT guns need not be on the Roster). Sometimes a LEO might even commit a criminal act with a handgun - why should it be harder to investigate them than the rest of us?
For that matter, since the Roster is supposed to prevent 'unsafe' guns from being sold in California, shouldn't we value the lives of our LEOs enough to be sure they don't have 'unsafe' handguns?
Kindly use those points in a polite note to the Governor - soon, please. Arnold now has the bill on his desk and he has been signing things over the last week.
