Supporters of safety to deliver thousands of signatures to support gun safety

by Brian Leubitz

This morning, groups from across the state delivered thousands of signatures in support of Sen. Darrell Steinberg’s gun safety legislation. The coalition is led by the progressive California-based CourageCampaign.org in conjunction with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Bend the Arc: A Jewish Alliance for Justice, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, California Church Impact, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), Clergy and Laity for Economic Justice – California (CLUE CA), CREDO Action, Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and PICO.

This week also marks the anniversary of two horrific gun massacres in the United States:  Six years ago, on April 16, 2007 a gunman opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech, killing 32 people and wounding an additional 17 people.  The Columbine High School shooting massacre in which two gunman killed 15 people and wounded another 21 happened 14 years ago on April 20, 1999. In light of these tragedies, and the movement of the legislation through the committee process, the timing is important.

The LIFE Act, as it has been dubbed, is actually a package of eight bills supported by Sen. Steinberg:

Senate Bill 140 (Leno/Steinberg) gives law enforcement the resources to confiscate the guns of Californians who are known to illegally possess them. Currently there is an 18,000 person backlog;

SB 53 (de León) requires a background check for all ammunition purchases;

SB 47 (Yee) closes a loophole in California’s assault weapons ban that allows guns with a “bullet button” to sneak through;

SB 396 (Hancock) outlaws “mega-magazines” that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition;

SB 755 (Wolk) expands the list of Californians who can’t legally own guns to include those convicted of multiple drug/alcohol convictions, carrying ammunition onto school grounds, active participation in street gangs, and others;

SB 374 (Steinberg) bans semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines and retroactively requires an ownership record for all guns;

SB 683 (Block) expands safety certificate requirements to long guns, rather than just handguns;

SB 567 (Jackson) closes a loophole in California’s definition of an illegal shotgun to include a shotgun with a revolving cylinder and a rifled bore.

There is at least one more bill that is relevant to the discussion that is not included. Asm. Roger Dickinson’s AB 760 would place a 5-cent tax on each bullett sold in California and the money would be used to increase mental health screenings for children. Because the legislation increases revenue, it was put on the suspense file and will be considered in another future hearing. However, expect there to be a lot more resistance on this kind of legislation, as it would require a 2/3 vote to raise that additional revenue. Although the roughly $45 million annually would be welcome for mental health community, manufacturers are sure to come out in force on this legislation.

However, as gun safety legislation is making excruciatingly slow progress at the federal level, the states must be the ones to start. With Connecticut and New York already passing strong gun safety legislation, California must continue the fight.