2018: Governor's Actions
When the clock stuck midnight on September 30, Governor Jerry Brown made the last legislative decisions of his political career and left his mark as a solid anti-gun politician who was willing to throw us a bone now and again. This year was no different, as he stepped firmly into the anti-gun muck with the signing of bills to prohibit the sale of firearms to anyone under 21 and increased training before anyone can get a CCW. But he vetoed some bad ones, too – he rejected banning gun shows at the Cow Palace as well as the bill to put limitations on how many long guns we can guy per month. Here’s the final rundown, and what it means to the individual gun owner:
BAD BILLS SIGNED
AB 2103 (Gloria – D) – Expands the course of concealed weapons training to at least 8 hours and further requires live-fire exercises conducted on a firing range. This places yet another obstacle in the path of CCW permitees.
SB 1100 (Portantino – D) – Bans the legal sale of long guns to anyone under 21. We believe the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 are violated in that those citizens are recognized by the federal government as members of the militia. The militia was specifically protected in the language of the Second Amendment. THE SIGNING OF THIS BILL OPENS A WIDE DOOR TO A LEGAL CHALLENGE.
SB 1200 (Skinner – D) – Expands the duties of law enforcement when serving a gun violence restraining order.
SB 1346 (Jackson – D) – Bans devices such as the bump fire stock (multi-burst trigger activator). This will have little “new” impact on Californians, because such devices have already been declared illegal by the California Attorney General.
Each bill will become effective January 1, 2019; the Governor made no specific “signing statements” on these legislative proposals.
BAD BILLS VETOED
SB 221 (Wiener – D) – This sought to ban gun shows at the Cow Palace, a premier event center that has welcomed over 50 million visitors with a near-flawless record since it opened in 1941. In his veto message, the Governor stated "This bill has been vetoed twice over the last ten years, once by myself, and once by Governor Schwarzenegger. The decision on what kind of shows occur at the Cow Palace rests with the local board of directors which, incidentally, represents a broad cross section of the community. They are in the best position to make these decisions.”
SB 1177 (Portantino – D) – This bill would have expanded the “one handgun per month” limitation to all firearms. There is no data suggesting someone who purchases more than one gun of any kind per month is a danger to society or engaging in illicit activity, which may be why the Governor said, "I vetoed a substantially similar bill in 2016, and my views have not changed."
2017: Governor's Actions
This time every year, Gun Owners of California waits patiently to assess the damage of Governor Jerry Brown’s pen. Speculating what he would sign or veto has always been a crapshoot of sorts, and this year was no exception; there were hints he would sign some bad ones and veto a few, but in the aftermath of the Las Vegas tragedy, the guessing stopped. His deadline was midnight October 15, so when the clock struck 12 last night, we learned the good news – and the bad.
BAD BILLS SIGNED
AB 7 / GIPSON / D – Prohibits the open carrying of an unloaded long-gun in unincorporated areas of the state.
This is an unnecessary statewide mandate; this could have easily been addressed by local authorities.
AB 424 / MCCARTY/ D – Removes authority of school officials to authorize a CCW license holder to carry on school grounds.
Unfortunately, the Governor no longer believes this decision should left in the hands of those officials responsible for the safety of the students and staff.
AB 1525 / BAKER/ R – Requires additional statements on the dangers of owning a gun to be printed on the actual firearm packaging.
SB 536 / PAN / D – Requires the Department of Justice to provide information on gun violence restraining orders to anti-gun the Firearm Violence Research Center at the University of California; permits DOJ to cherry-pick who gets what data.
SB 620 / BRADFORD / D After initially failing by a significant margin, this so called “criminal justice reform” bill passed after some serious arm twisting by the Democrat legislative leadership. The Governor approved the bill which gives courts the discretion to NOT issue mandatory sentencing provisions for the felony use of a firearm.
In our opinion, SB 620 represents an extraordinary double-standard on guns and has the real potential of putting the safety of Californians in jeopardy.
BAD BILL VETOED
SB 464 / HILL/ D - That’s right – Governor Brown said NO to this bad boy, which was one of Gun Owners top legislative priorities. SB 464 would have required firearm dealers to install security measures such as concrete pillars in front of stores/and or vaults that meet certain standards. In spite of the veto, GOC will not forget that Big 5 Sporting Goods worked out a deal with the author to protect large retailers like themselves that would have put smaller dealers in financial jeopardy. In his veto message, the Governor stated “This bill would require additional security enhancements on the premises of all licensed firearms dealers in California. State law already requires that firearms dealers enact security measures to avoid theft. Local jurisdictions can-and have-gone further by adding additional specific requirements. I believe local authorities are in the best position to determine what, if any additional measures are needed in their jurisdictions.”
