California: Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committee Takes Up Suspense File on Thursday, May 16

On Thursday, May 16, both the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committee will be taking up their respective suspense files.  Please use the TAKE ACTION buttons below to contact the Members of the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees to urge their support and opposition to the bills listed below.  

Assembly Appropriations Committee:

Please use the TAKE ACTION button below to urge the Committee to SUPPORT AB 284 and OPPOSE AB 18, AB 688, AB 879, AB 1064, and AB 1254.

Assembly Bill 284, sponsored by Assembly Member Jim Frazier (D-11), would permanently place in statute California's junior hunting license, which is due to sunset in 2020. 

Assembly Bill 18, sponsored by Assembly Member Marc Levine (D-10), would impose a $25 excise tax on a handgun, semiautomatic rifle or shotgun purchased as new from a retailer. AB 18 also creates the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Firearm Tax Fund, which the new excise tax will fund and the funds will be administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, to award competitive grants for the purpose of violence intervention and prevention.  

Assembly Bill 688, sponsored by Assembly Member Kansen Chu (D-25), would place stringent storage requirements on all firearms that are left in an unattended vehicle, regardless of the duration. The requirements set forth in this legislation are overly burdensome and in some cases unattainable storage options that are neither practical nor possible for the average firearm owner who may temporarily leave their vehicle unattended on their way into the field or to the range.   

Assembly Bill 879, sponsored by Assembly Member Mike Gipson (D-64), would require precursor firearms parts to be sold/transferred through a licensed precursor parts dealer in a similar process to the new laws regarding ammunition purchases. It would further create a new crime for transfer of precursor parts without the involvement of a licensed precursor parts dealer to anyone under 21 years of age or prohibited from owning firearms. Precursor parts include items such as unfinished frames and upper receivers.   

Assembly Bill 1064, sponsored by Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi (D-66), would place further restrictions on licensed firearms dealers including expressly allowing localities to impose requirements beyond state law and imposes an onerous insurance requirement including vicarious liability coverage. 

Assembly Bill 1254, sponsored by Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-54) would prohibit the ability to hunt, trap or otherwise take a bobcat except in specified circumstances including depredation permits.   

Bills that will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee:

Please use the TAKE ACTION button below to urge the Committee to OPPOSE SB 61, SB 120, and SB 172.

Senate Bill 61, sponsored by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25), would expand California’s one handgun a month law to apply to all firearms.

Senate Bill 120, sponsored by Senator Henry Stern (D-27), would expand the penalties for violations of California's transportation laws, including in vehicles or on a person. The penalties include a 10 year prohibition on firearm ownership. 

Senate Bill 172, sponsored by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25), would expand California's existing storage laws.

Recently, the Assembly has passed three anti-gun bills which have been transmitted to the Senate where they await further consideration.  

Assembly Bill 61, sponsored by Assembly Member Philip Ting (D-19), would expand the list of those eligible to file “gun violence” restraining orders (GVRO) beyond the currently authorized reporters which include immediate family and law enforcement.  The new list is expanded to employers, coworkers and employees of a secondary or postsecondary school that the person has attended in the last 6 months.  GVRO’s can remove a person’s Second Amendment Rights, not based on criminal convictions or mental adjudications, but based on third party allegations often without due process until weeks after a person’s rights have been suspended.​  AB 61 was passed by the Assembly on May 6 and has been transmitted to the Senate.  

Assembly Bill 1297, sponsored by Assembly Member Kevin McCarty (D-7), would remove the maximum fee a local authority can charge on the concealed carry permit application.  AB 1297 was passed by the Assembly on May 13 and has been transmitted to the Senate.

Assembly Bill 1602, sponsored by Assembly Member Evan Low (D-7), would limit the ability of insurance companies to provide liability protections for firearm owners beyond loss of property or damage other than commercial policies. AB 1602 was passed by the Assembly on May 9 and has been transmitted to the Senate.

AB 1669 remains eligible for a vote on the Assembly floor.  Use the take action button below to continue to contact lawmakers.

Assembly Bill 1669, sponsored by Assembly Member Rob Bonta (D-18), would raise the DROS fees paid by consumers when purchasing firearms and to vastly expand the scope of how these monies can be utilized by the California Department of Justice (DOJ). The DROS account at times has generated a massive surplus at times, so much so that tens of millions of dollars have been utilized to fund other DOJ programs including a $24 million dollar loan to the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) just a few short years ago. This legislation appears nothing more than an effort to put more cost constraints on gun owners to foot the bill for the massive cost pressures the legislature has put on DOJ in the recent years including ammunition background checks and long gun registration to name a few.   

Continue to check your inbox and the California Stand and Fight webpage for updates on issues impacting your Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage in California.