Starting July 1, 2021, California residents will be prohibited from buying more than one semiautomatic rifle per month. And, starting Jan. 1, 2020, California residents under the age of 21 will be banned from purchasing a semiautomatic rifle.
Both measures are part of Senate Bill 61, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom back in October as part of a larger legislative effort to restrict 2A rights in the Golden State.
“Gun violence is an epidemic in this country, one that’s been enflamed by the inaction of politicians in Washington,” said Gov. Newsom in a statement. “While Washington has refused to act on even the most basic gun safety reforms, California is once again leading the nation in passing meaningful gun safety reforms.”
Prior to the passage of SB 61, residents under 21 could purchase a rifle if they had a valid hunting license. But state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), the sponsor of SB61, believed it was time to put a stop to that following a shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, CA, on April 27, 2019.
“These particular violent weapons are not needed for hunting and have become increasingly the gun of choice for mass shootings,” Portantino told SacBee. “We felt very strongly that the hunter’s exemption needed to be removed for this weapon.”
The 19-year-old killer, who did not have a valid hunting license, still managed to purchase a firearm from a San Diego gun store. Portantino believes that although a myriad of existing laws failed to prevent the attack, one more might do the trick next time around.
“Though that shooter did not have a valid hunting license at the time of his gun purchase, that horrible situation highlighted the need for immediate action,” Portantino explained.
Gun-rights advocates disagree. Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, told GunsAmerica in an email that this new law is “stupid.”
“Another stupid anti-gun law. How many criminals use more than one semi-auto rifle when they commit a crime? Like zero,” said Gottlieb.
“This is just to demonize firearms and attack constitutional rights and will have no impact on keeping anyone safe,” he added.
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New Mexico is next guys…..Kalifornia leads the way in stomping on your rights, NM right behind. Election by election, the voters keep voting in idiots. Did you vote for Grisham?
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