May 13,
2004--Apparently not content with California being one of
the most anti-gun states in the country, state legislators have
introduced three new bills which threaten lawful firearms ownership.
Assembly bill AB 2858 would impose a ten
percent tax on ammunition and a five percent tax on handgun sales.
The taxes collected would go into a Firearms Victim Reimbursement
Fund. Since the majority of gun injuries are suffered by gang
members shooting at each other, as well as drug dealers shooting
each other, we can presume that these model citizens will be the
prime beneficiaries of the Firearms Victim Reimbursement Fund.
Last year a similar bill was introduced which would have imposed
a five-cent per bullet tax, the result of which would have increased
the price of a box of 500 rounds of .22LR from about $10 to $35.
Fortunately, that bill was voted down largely by representatives
from rural areas. Let us hope that AB 2858 will suffer the same
fate.
Senate bill SB 1152 tries to circumvent
provisions of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 which prohibit
establishing a registry of gun owners. SB 1152 would require anyone
who buys ammunition to provide the seller with their name, address,
date of birth, and a thumbprint. The bill requires that such information
be made available to law enforcement. With gun dealers already
burdened with Form 4473's, background checks, and other paperwork,
SB 1152 will compound their headaches. Of course, it will also
drive up taxes in the state, since a new bureaucracy will have
to be created to implement the program.
Assembly bill AB 1140 would make criminal
storeage of a firearm an offense punishable by six months in jail
and a fine of up to $1,000. This bill is so poorly written that
a thief could steal your loaded nightstand gun, commit a robbery,
get shot by police, and you go to jail. There are already laws
on the books that punish those who are truly negligent in storing
their guns. AB 1140 goes way over the top.
California gun owners need to make sure
these bills never see the light of day. For more information on
them, and for the phone numbers of California legislators, go
to the California legislature's website
here.
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