Governor “Splits the Baby” and Signs 2 of 3 Anti-Gun Bills

Once again demonstrating the boot-on-the-neck mentality toward gun owners, Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation hostile to the Second Amendment, SB 707 by Senator Lois Wolk and AB 1134 by Assemblyman Mark Stone. SB 707 bans legally authorized concealed weapons licensees from carrying on any campus and AB 1134 changes the authority regarding the issuance of concealed weapons permits, thus creating an unnecessary burden for applicants.

Speaking on SB 707, GOC Executive Director Sam Paredes said, “Governor Brown seems to think that school administrators are better judges than the local sheriff in determining who is a safety risk and who is not – amending the Gun-Free School Zone Act with further exceptions is nothing more than a problem in search of a solution – especially since no CCW holder has ever committed a crime on a California campus.”

Once fully exempted from the bill’s provisions, law enforcement moved their opposition to support. “It’s always a battle going up against our friends in blue on any issue, and this was no exception,” said Paredes. “Legislators faced an intense, full court press to support the bill from local police and educators, and we are sincerely appreciative of those who withstood the pressure.”

Governor Brown’s unfortunate signature on AB 1134 adds another pointless layer of bureaucracy to a process that has become increasingly more convoluted in recent years. “It’s a sad situation when the Governor goes against his own policy of signing a bill that invalidates an ongoing court case – particularly one that would go a long ways toward clarifying the unconstitutionality of California’s CCW laws,” said Paredes, speaking in reference to the continuing Peruta v. Gore.

Both bills will go into effect on January 1, 2016.

As reported previously by Gun Owners of California, the Governor vetoed SB 347.