California One-ups New York’s Tough Gun Laws
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.08.13
California lawmakers are giving New York serious competition for which state has the toughest gun laws in the country. According to the Wall Street Journal, the California state legislature put forward 10 proposals restricting the purchase and possession of certain firearms and ammunition. Several more are slated to be introduced later this month.
“California has always been a leader on the issue of gun safety,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “New York has stepped up and stepped forward. California needs to answer the call.”
Many of the new proposals follow along the lines of the New York law that passed earlier last month, but there are a few additions that make the California version even more stringent. A major point brought up by lawmakers is to ban the popular “bullet button” feature on semi-automatic rifles. The button replaces the magazine release and has to be activated by a bullet or similar object, allowing the firearm to be reloaded in a slower-than-normal way.
Other reported proposals include:
- A ban on semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines
- Background checks for ammunition purchases and an unspecified ammunition tax
- A ban on magazines holding more than 10 bullets
- Gun owners would have to obtain liability insurance to cover their firearms in case of injury or damage
- Permits for certain rifles can no longer be held in the name of a corporation, association, partnership or LLC
- Remove grandfather clauses from certain weapons
- Registration of all firearms
Sam Paredes, director of the Gun Owners of California association, called the new bills “unconscionable” and an attempt to buy out less wealthy gun owners who can’t afford the new changes. Parades vowed to bring the matter to court if the bills are passed into law.
