The California Legislature is back in session and that means bad news for California gun owners! Both the Assembly and Senate Public Safety Committees held hearings yesterday and voted on multiple 2A related bills. Here’s what happened:

Assembly

The Assembly Public Safety Committee blocked AB 1394, a bill to expand the issuance of CCWs in the state of California.

FPC’s Craig DeLuz testified passionately about how the government has historically abused the “good cause” requirement for CCWs to stop minorities and disadvantaged groups from exercising their right to keep and bear arms.

While the Committee Chair Assemblyman Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer acknowledged Craig and the testimony he gave, he along with all the other Democrats on the committee voted NO on the bill.

Republican Committee Vice-Chair Assemblyman Tom Lackey voted yes.

The other Republican on the committee, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, ended up MIA on Second Amendment rights, choosing not to vote on the bill.

Senate

The California Senate Public Safety Committee seemed really stumped by SB 710, a bill that would have legalized suppressors for the purpose of hunting in the state of California. Chairwoman Senator Nancy Skinner actively searched for reasons to oppose the bill. She eventually settled on claiming that since rock musicians have ways of dealing with hearing loss, hunters and shooters should learn from them.

Even the representative from the Brady campaign had a hard time coming up with reasons to oppose this bill. She ended up citing her own brother, a hunter who “uses only one box of ammo because you just don’t shoot that much while hunting” and a personal concern that while she’s out walking her dog, she “won’t be able to hear the gunshots of hunters.” When asked what other alternative to a suppressor hunters and shooters can adequately use to protect their hearing, she could not answer.

In the end, however, facts and hard data failed to get the majority of Democrats to support this bill. The final vote tally was 3-2-2, one vote short of the 4 votes needed to pass the bill. Both Republicans, Senators Joel Anderson and Jeff Stone, voted yes as well as Democrat Steven Bradford.  Committee Chair Senator Nancy Skinner and Senator Holly Mitchell chose to abstain on the measure. Senators Scott Wiener and Hannah-Beth Jackson voted No.

The Senate Public Safety Committee also passed SB 459 that would mandate that the California Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct “inspections” of gun dealers at least once every two years.

Of course, we all know that this bill was just another attempt to burden gun stores and firearms dealers with undue rules and regulations in order to further limit the ability of law abiding gun owners in the state to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. It was passed along party lines, 5-2.

However, the fight isn’t over yet. SB 459 now moves to the Appropriations Committee and it’s important that we make our voices heard and contact that committee RIGHT NOW and tell them to vote NO on this horrendous anti-gun bill!

Send a message to the Senate Appropriations Committee and tell them to block SB 459!