4570Rick
Member
For those who live in the PRK and don't read the Legislative Awareness Forum or have connections inside the toilet that is Sacramento, here is what is going on as of 4-23-03.
Greetings Gun Folks!
Attached is the Word Document version of the California Gun Control
Legislative
Watchlist from the office of Assemblyman Ray Haynes.
First, I apologize for my long absence from updating and
distributing this list. I've
received many inquiries over the past few months, and my only real excuse is
that the Assembly
is not nearly as much fun as the Senate was. While we had seven staff
members in the
district in the Senate office, we only have three in the Assembly, so I've
had a lot less time
to put this together. Now that it has been compiled, updates should be
regular again.
Highlighting the bad bill part of the list this year is AB 992 (and
it's dormant twin, AB 602).
It would establish a $.10 per "munition" tax on all loaded cartridges, or on
primers, bullets, and
cases separately. It would increase the cost of a box of standard handgun
ammunition by $5.00,
making .22 cartridges go from about $1/box and $10/brick to $6/box and
$60/brick. I was at
the Public Safety Committee hearing on this bill, and the members of the
committee were
impervious to logic and the complaints from witnesses who run youth shooting
events. This bill
passed 5-2 and is now in the Health Committee to be heard likely next week.
They dedicated the funds from
this tax to a Trauma Center Fund, so they can claim it is a "fee" rather
than a tax, and avoid
the 2/3 vote requirement and pass it with a simple majority instead.
Get Health Commitee info here:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/welcome.asp?committee=10
SB 190, from our old friend Senator Scott, is another attempt to
require loaded chamber indicators
and magazine disconnect safeties in all handguns sold in California by 2007.
It would likely severely
reduce the variety of handguns available for purchase in this state.
A pair of prohibitionist bills dealing with big guns are also in the
works. AB 50 has gotten
some attention as Assemblyman Koretz again shows his nearly Freudian
obsession with guns in
an attempt to classify .50 BMG rifles as an assault weapon, despite any
evidence that they've ever
been a problem in the United States, based entirely on the fiction that
terrorists use them to blow
up tanks in the Mid-East. The next time a gang-banger uses a $5,000 Barrett
to hold up a 7-11 will
be the first time. It also categorizes the cartridges themselves as a
"dangerous weapon". It will be
in the Assembly Public Safety Committee next week. Get Assembly PS Comm.
info here: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=57
A second big gun bill in search of a problem would outright prohibit
ownership of .50 caliber
handguns! SB 601 by Senator Perata would categorize guns like Freedom Arms
.50 AE or S&W's new 500 Magnum
with zipguns, short-barreled shotguns, cane guns, and other banned weapons.
Again, there is no
evidence that criminals are rushing to buy a ten pound $1,000 revolver to
make mischief, but it sounds
scary, so they're hoping they can stampede the public into supporting a ban
on these hunting handguns.
On the good news front, two anti-hunting bills have been killed due
to public pressure. AB 1190 to
ban dove hunting was withdrawn by the author under heavy opposition without
ever getting to committee.
AB 342 would have banned the use of dogs entirely for bear and bobcat, and
was defeated in the Parks
and Wildlife Commitee after a very impressive show of force by hunters at
the Capitol. This one wasn't
a gun bill at all, but I've included it because many shooters have an
interest in hunting, and if a bill with
as narrow a constituency as bobcat hunters who use dogs can be defeated,
then nothing is impossible.
The best good gun bill with a decent chance of passing is SB 435
from Senator Knight. It would
require Sheriff's to tell CCW applicants if they qualify under the "good
cause" provisions BEFORE you
have to shell out hundreds of dollars in fees. Many departments have
frontloaded their fees to discourage
people from applying for fear they will be rejected after paying all their
money for classes and background
checks. It will be heard in Senate Public Safety on May 6th.
As always, if you have any questions or information on these bills,
feel free to contact me directly.
If you received this second-hand and would like to subscribe to the blind
distribution list, just e-mail me.
Reproduction and redistribution of this cover note and watchlist with
attribution is permitted and encouraged.
(See Attached Word Document)
<<Gun Control Legislation Watchlist 2003.doc>>
JTG
[email protected]
"No government is better than our government"
Greetings Gun Folks!
Attached is the Word Document version of the California Gun Control
Legislative
Watchlist from the office of Assemblyman Ray Haynes.
First, I apologize for my long absence from updating and
distributing this list. I've
received many inquiries over the past few months, and my only real excuse is
that the Assembly
is not nearly as much fun as the Senate was. While we had seven staff
members in the
district in the Senate office, we only have three in the Assembly, so I've
had a lot less time
to put this together. Now that it has been compiled, updates should be
regular again.
Highlighting the bad bill part of the list this year is AB 992 (and
it's dormant twin, AB 602).
It would establish a $.10 per "munition" tax on all loaded cartridges, or on
primers, bullets, and
cases separately. It would increase the cost of a box of standard handgun
ammunition by $5.00,
making .22 cartridges go from about $1/box and $10/brick to $6/box and
$60/brick. I was at
the Public Safety Committee hearing on this bill, and the members of the
committee were
impervious to logic and the complaints from witnesses who run youth shooting
events. This bill
passed 5-2 and is now in the Health Committee to be heard likely next week.
They dedicated the funds from
this tax to a Trauma Center Fund, so they can claim it is a "fee" rather
than a tax, and avoid
the 2/3 vote requirement and pass it with a simple majority instead.
Get Health Commitee info here:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/welcome.asp?committee=10
SB 190, from our old friend Senator Scott, is another attempt to
require loaded chamber indicators
and magazine disconnect safeties in all handguns sold in California by 2007.
It would likely severely
reduce the variety of handguns available for purchase in this state.
A pair of prohibitionist bills dealing with big guns are also in the
works. AB 50 has gotten
some attention as Assemblyman Koretz again shows his nearly Freudian
obsession with guns in
an attempt to classify .50 BMG rifles as an assault weapon, despite any
evidence that they've ever
been a problem in the United States, based entirely on the fiction that
terrorists use them to blow
up tanks in the Mid-East. The next time a gang-banger uses a $5,000 Barrett
to hold up a 7-11 will
be the first time. It also categorizes the cartridges themselves as a
"dangerous weapon". It will be
in the Assembly Public Safety Committee next week. Get Assembly PS Comm.
info here: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=57
A second big gun bill in search of a problem would outright prohibit
ownership of .50 caliber
handguns! SB 601 by Senator Perata would categorize guns like Freedom Arms
.50 AE or S&W's new 500 Magnum
with zipguns, short-barreled shotguns, cane guns, and other banned weapons.
Again, there is no
evidence that criminals are rushing to buy a ten pound $1,000 revolver to
make mischief, but it sounds
scary, so they're hoping they can stampede the public into supporting a ban
on these hunting handguns.
On the good news front, two anti-hunting bills have been killed due
to public pressure. AB 1190 to
ban dove hunting was withdrawn by the author under heavy opposition without
ever getting to committee.
AB 342 would have banned the use of dogs entirely for bear and bobcat, and
was defeated in the Parks
and Wildlife Commitee after a very impressive show of force by hunters at
the Capitol. This one wasn't
a gun bill at all, but I've included it because many shooters have an
interest in hunting, and if a bill with
as narrow a constituency as bobcat hunters who use dogs can be defeated,
then nothing is impossible.
The best good gun bill with a decent chance of passing is SB 435
from Senator Knight. It would
require Sheriff's to tell CCW applicants if they qualify under the "good
cause" provisions BEFORE you
have to shell out hundreds of dollars in fees. Many departments have
frontloaded their fees to discourage
people from applying for fear they will be rejected after paying all their
money for classes and background
checks. It will be heard in Senate Public Safety on May 6th.
As always, if you have any questions or information on these bills,
feel free to contact me directly.
If you received this second-hand and would like to subscribe to the blind
distribution list, just e-mail me.
Reproduction and redistribution of this cover note and watchlist with
attribution is permitted and encouraged.
(See Attached Word Document)
<<Gun Control Legislation Watchlist 2003.doc>>
JTG
[email protected]
"No government is better than our government"
