2016 CA Firearms Legislative Summary

2016 California Firearms Legislation Summary

9/15/2016

Every year, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violencetracks and analyzes all firearm-related legislation introduced in the California Legislature, and helps craft and testify in support of bills to strengthen our gun safety laws.  

This year, California legislators introduced an historic number of firearm-related bills, including numeroussignificant and innovative measures to improve public safety. So far, Governor Brown has signed six of these bills, including legislation to comprehensively regulate ammunition sales and close loopholes in our state’s assault weapon and large capacity magazine ban statutes.  The Governor’s budget also appropriated funds to establish an academic research center in the UC system dedicated to the study of gun violence and prevention. 

Amid these crucial successes, the Governor also vetoed some gun safety bills, including legislation to require gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm, to restrict bulk firearm purchases, and to regulate certain firearm components that enable individuals to self-assemble untraceable firearms.

A few bills are still awaiting the Governor’s signature, including a bill to strengthen state gun laws by requiring safe storage of handguns in unattended motor vehicles, as well as a bill seeking to weaken our gun laws by exempting large numbers of peace officers from California’s landmark Unsafe Handgun Act. 

Gun Bills Signed by the Governor

• AB 1135 (Levine/Ting) and SB 880 (Hall/Glazer): Closing the bullet button loophole

• AB 1511 (Santiago): Narrowing firearm loansloophole

• AB 1695 (Bonta): Criminalizing false reports of lost or stolen firearms

• SB 1235 (De Leon): Comprehensive ammunition regulation (*SB 1235 provides that most of its provisions will become inoperative if Prop 63 ispassed by California voters this November*)

• SB 1446 (Hancock): Prohibiting possession of LCMs (*Prop 63 contains similar provisions but authorizes stronger penalties for individuals found in unlawful possession*)

• AB 857 (Cooper): “Ghost gun” serialization

Resolutions Adopted by the Legislature

• HR 52 (Rendon/Gipson): Recognizing Gun Violence Awareness Day

• SJR 20 (Hall): Opposing federal ban on CDC gun violence research

Gun Bills Vetoed by the Governor

• AB 1176 (Cooper): Placing Prop 47 fix on Nov.ballot (*Veto message noted that Prop 63includes similar provisions*)

• AB 1673 (Gipson): Regulating nearly finished firearm frames and receivers (“80% receivers”) as firearms

• AB 1674 (Santiago): One firearm per month 

• AB 2607 (Ting): Expanding GVRO law

• SB 894 (Jackson): Lost/stolen reporting law

Gun Bills Awaiting Action by the Governor

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• AB 2165 (Bonta): Unsafe Handgun Act exception for more peace officers

• SB 869 (Hill): Safe handgun storage in unattended motor vehicles

• SB 877 (Pan): Improving violent death data collection

• SB 1324 (Hancock): Reauthorizing funding sources for anti-violence peer counselors

• AB 450 (McCarty): Requiring CCW permitting authorities to charge application fees; liftingstatutory fee cap

• AB 2510 (Linder): Uniform CCW licenses

• SB 1332 (Mendoza): Allowing new firearm loan exception and joint spousal “registration” of firearms

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September 1, 2016

BRADY CAMPAIGN ENDORSES PROPOSITION 63

SACRAMENTO - President of the 28 California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Peggy McCrum, issued the following statement endorsing Proposition 63, the Safety for All initiative.

"Voting 'yes' on Proposition 63 is a no-brainer for any Californian who wants to keep guns out of the hands of violent felons and domestic abusers. Plain and simple, the policies contained in Prop. 63 are going to save lives. Keeping guns away from dangerous people is something we all can, and should, get behind. That's why Brady is all-in to help ensure victory at the ballot box in November. The California Chapters of the Brady Campaign have seen historic success this year, helping usher in seven new gun reform laws. And we are committed to see this important initiative through as well. Californians are ready for this.”

Proposition 63 will keep guns out of dangerous hands by providing a clear process for the timely relinquishment of firearms by prohibited persons. Proposition 63 will also help identify and prosecute straw buyers and cut down on illegal gun trafficking by requiring the reporting of lost and stolen guns. We know gun traffickers use the excuse that their guns were lost or stolen when crime guns are traced back to them.

Proposition 63 will build upon the significant legislation already signed into law this year. Led by the California chapters of the Brady Campaign and key allies in the state Senate and Assembly, seven public safety measures have been enacted this session. It's the greatest number of gun violence prevention bills signed into California law in more than 25 years. Among them are bold new laws requiring background checks for ammunition purchasers and licensing of ammunition vendors. Important legislation was also passed to strengthen California’s laws keeping high capacity ammunition magazines and weapons of war, like the guns used in the San Bernardino shooting, out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers, and those who are dangerously mentally ill. Additionally, a law was enacted to make sure that people who make or assemble their own guns pass a background check.

The California chapters of the Brady Campaign played a vital role in fighting for each one of the new laws, working side-by-side with lawmakers the entire way and driving tens of thousands of emails and calls into the offices of lawmakers.

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The mission of the Brady organization and its Million Mom March is to create a safer America by cutting gun deaths in half by 2025.

About Us: The Brady Campaign and Center, united with the Million Mom March, is a national network of more than 90 grassroots chapter affiliates mobilized to prevent gun violence at the community level. The network has played a vital role in expanding Brady background checks in the six states that have passed legislation since the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut and produced the largest national protest of gun violence in U.S. history - The Million Mom March, Mother’s Day 2000