The LA Times reports on CA Gov. Brown’s recent decisions on gun control bills.
In brief,
- The AWB expansion that would ban all semi-auto rifles with detachable mags was vetoed. From the Times:
The ban on rifles with detachable magazines goes too far, he said in a veto message, because it would outlaw the sale of guns used by hunters and marksmen.
?I don?t believe that this bill?s blanket ban on semiautomatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners? rights,? Brown said. - Lead ammo will be illegal for hunting starting in July 2019, giving hunters and manufacturers time to switch to non-lead ammo for hunting purposes. (My understanding is that the restriction only applies to hunting, not shooting at ranges.)
- Gun ownership will be prohibited to people who make serious threats to psychoanalysis.
- The state’s “handgun safety certificate” (answer 10 questions at the gun shop and they give you a card good for 5 years that says you can buy handguns) will now also be required for long guns.
The NRA-ILA has more details here. They have links to the governor’s veto statements, which make for interesting reading.
In short: the results are somewhat mixed, but they could have turned out a lot worse. Considering this is California, I’m generally pleased with the results — there were a few things, like the safety certificate, which are effectively minor infringements on our rights but no more so than the NICS check that also takes place at a dealer (the 10-day waiting period in California is much more onerous), but the obnoxious, major infringements were stopped and the governor put, in writing, that the ban on semi-auto rifles would infringe on people’s rights.
That’s pretty good.