New California Gun and Ammo Tax Becomes Law: What to Know

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several new California gun control laws — one doubles the tax on guns and ammunition purchased in the state. California has a gun and ammo tax now that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several new gun control measures. One piece of legislation, California SB2, bans the carrying of firearms in most public places within the state. Another measure, AB 28, doubles the tax on guns and ammunition purchased in California. The move (Newsom signed nearly two dozen gun control measures in one day) has stirred debate and makes California the only state to add a separate excise tax on ammunition and firearms. In a release regarding the measures, Newsom pointed to the effectiveness of gun laws in the Golden State. “The d...  Read More

Undocumented Immigrants Have Right to Own Guns, Judge Rules

A judge this month dropped gun charges against an illegal migrant in Illinois, sparking further debate about the rights associated with the Second Amendment. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Coleman of the Northern District of Illinois referenced lower court rulings in dismissing firearm possession charges against Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, who was illegally or unlawfully in the United States when he possessed a handgun in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago on June 1, 2020. "The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores' criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding that he poses a risk to public safety such that he cannot be trusted to use a weap...  Read More

Judge who’s struck down numerous California gun laws overturns 101-year-old billy club ban

The federal judge who has repeatedly ruled against California’s restrictions on firearms has turned his attention to another state-prohibited weapon, billy clubs. The wooden or metal rods wielded by police are “arms” that cannot be withheld from law-abiding citizens, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego said Thursday in a ruling barring state enforcement of the law. He said the California law, passed in 1923, violates the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, as recently redefined by the Supreme Court. “It is a simple weapon that most anybody between the ages of 8 and 80 can fashion from a wooden stick, or a clothes pole, or a dowel rod,” Benitez wrote. “One can easily imagine countless citizens carrying these...  Read More

Senator Portantino Introduces Bill Requiring Annual Registration of Firearms

Senator Portantino Introduces Bill Requiring Annual Registration of Firearms Sacramento, CA – Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) introduced SB 1160 today, a measure that would require gun owners to annually register their firearms with the California Department of Justice. “SB 1160 will give the state better data and help us understand how many firearms are in private hands and who owns them,” stated Senator Portantino. “Currently, we only have rough estimates on how many firearms are in California. This important step toward registration will also increase accountability and responsible gun ownership as we collectively endeavor to increase public safety.” SB 1160 would require every firearm in the state to be annually regist...  Read More

CA AMMO BACKGROUND CHECK STRUCK DOWN

Jan 31 (Reuters) - California cannot enforce a law requiring people to undergo background checks to buy ammunition, because it violates the constitutional right to bear arms, a federal judge has ruled. In a decision made public on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego said the background checks have "no historical pedigree," and violate the Second Amendment by treating all citizens as having no right to buy ammunition.  "A sweeping background check requirement imposed every time a citizen needs to buy ammunition is an outlier that our ancestors would have never accepted for a citizen," wrote Benitez, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush. Benitez also criticized California's handling of the more than 1 ...  Read More

2024 UPDATE (SB 2) THE "BAN CONCEALED CARRY EVERYWHERE" BILL

SB 2 briefly went into effect, but as of 01/06/2024, it has been stayed, meaning that until the federal courts rule otherwise, the SB 2 restrictions are not in effect. This was part of the usual California and Ninth Circuit games that for a few days left legal concealed carriers in legal limbo. As of this writing, the excessive SB 2 restrictions do not apply.SB 2 essentially bans LTC permittees from legal concealed carry anywhere in the state except for some streets and sidewalks; seriously, this is no exaggeration. The law was intended as a spiteful Bruen revenge bill. The Ninth Circuit Court of appeals, the most liberal federal appeals court in the nation, first granted an injunction against the law, then on December 30th, stayed the i...  Read More

Federal Judge Rules Handgun Sales Ban for 18-20-Year-Olds Unconstitutional

The federal ban on licensed dealers selling pistols to adults under 21 is unconstitutional, according to a ruling issued on Friday. U.S. District Chief Judge Thomas S. Kleeh said the sales ban violates the Second Amendment. He determined there isn’t a historical tradition of barring adults from buying pistols, as required for a gun restriction to be constitutional under the Supreme Court’s latest precedent. He blocked enforcement of the law against the plaintiffs in the case and all 18-to-20-year-olds nationwide. “[B]ecause Plaintiffs’ conduct – the purchase of handguns – ‘fall[s] [within] the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command’ and the challenged statutes and regulations are not ‘consistent with the Nation’s historic tradition of...  Read More

California Background Check Delay Latest Front in Gun Laws War

California exceeded its legal authority when it opted to delay gun-buyer background checks past the 10-day statutory limit due to Covid-19, firearm enthusiasts assert in an appellate case that questions the state’s intentions to employ its interpretation in the future. The state, which requires a background check on firearm purchases and transfers, abused a California Department of Justice interpretation of the allowed application turnaround time to delay more than 220,000 purchases, gun buyers told a California Court of Appeal. “The parties hotly dispute the scope of DOJ’s authority to delay firearm transactions, which is unquestionably a matter of broad public interest,” Mauro Campos, a certified firearms safety instructor, who...  Read More

Major California law enforcement officials decry Newsom’s new gun control laws as pointless, ineffective

Fresno County, California officials are criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., after he signed multiple gun control bills into law in recent days. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni and District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp spoke out against Newsom after he signed Senate Bill 2 into law this week, a law which makes it harder for California residents to obtain their concealed carry permits. Both officials argued that the law doesn’t penalize those who commit the majority of gun crimes – those who have illegally obtained firearms. Once in effect, SB 2 will mandate that all new gun owners will have to undergo 16 hours of training and obtain at least two references to obtain their concealed carry licenses (CCWs). It also further restricts whe...  Read More

FPC Statement on the California Legislature Passing Twelve Gun Control Bills Before Deadline

SACRAMENTO, CA (September 18, 2023) – Today, following the close of the 2023 California legislative session, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) released the following statement responding to the passage of twelve gun control bills: The California Legislature chose to follow other hostile regimes desperate to restrict the rights of the people, flying in the face of the Second Amendment and recent Court decisions, by advancing multiple pieces of anti-rights legislation to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Richard Thomson, FPC’s Vice President of Communications commented: “This tyrannical package shows the legislature’s utter disdain for peaceable People and their willingness to use state violence to squash their rights.” FPC stands steadfast i...  Read More

California Becomes First State in America to Call for Constitutional Convention on Right to Safety

Disclaimer: We are not for this proposal AT ALL, we are only sharing the news with you.  Published: Sep 15, 2023 SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to amend the United States Constitution with a Right to Safety achieved a major milestone today as California became the first state in the nation to call for a Constitutional Convention for gun safety. With the Assembly’s approval of Senate Joint Resolution 7 authored by Senator Aisha Wahab and Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, California has officially requested a constitutional convention. What Governor Newsom said: “The Right to Safety Amendment would preserve the integrity of the Second Amendment, while enshrining in our Constitution commonsense safety provisions that ...  Read More

Checkout the latest news from the Los Angeles Times: California legislature approves concealed-carry limits, teeing up possible Supreme Court fight

A year after Democratic infighting tanked a high-profile gun-control bill in Sacramento, California lawmakers successfully approved legislation on Tuesday to limit who can carry firearms in public, setting up a likely legal challenge that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court. State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) introduced Senate Bill 2 in response to a Supreme Court ruling last year that struck down restrictive and subjective concealed-carry laws as unconstitutional, leaving California and a handful of other Democratic-led states scrambling to rewrite their gun laws. Despite support from both Gov. Gavin Newsom and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, internal bickering within the Democratic caucus last year led to the bill’s demise, an unceremoni...  Read More

California lawmakers approve new tax for guns and ammunition to pay for school safety improvements! 11% on ammo WTF???

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday voted to raise taxes on guns and ammunition and use the money to pay for gun violence prevention programs and security improvements at public schools. The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition nationwide. The government gives that money to the states, which spend it on wildlife conservation and hunter safety programs. California’s proposed tax, if it becomes law, would be 11% — matching the highest tax imposed by the federal government on guns. Most states don't have a special tax just for guns. Pennsylvania collects a $3 surcharge on gun sales and uses the money to pay for background checks. Fees in California total more than $37 on gun sales, with ...  Read More

INTERNAL ATF DOCS SHOW ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ GUIDELINES FOR SHUTTING DOWN GUN STORES

From: Gun Owners of America A Second Amendment advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) over the agency’s “zero tolerance” policy to shut down gun stores. Gun Owners of America (GOA) filed a suit against the ATF on Tuesday over the agency’s rigid inspection guidelines for federal firearms licensees (FFLs) from January 2022 that makes it easier to revoke a gun store’s federal license “This zero-tolerance policy towards lawful commerce guaranteed by the Second Amendment is just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing federal agencies against their political enemies,” GOA senior vice president Erich Pratt told Fox News Digital. INTERNAL ATF DOCS SHOW ‘ZERO TOLERA...  Read More

Marijuana and Possession of Firearms?

From Firearms Policy Coalition: NEW ORLEANS, LA (August 10, 2023) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and FPC Action Foundation (FPCAF) made the following statement regarding yesterday’s Opinion in the Fifth Circuit case United States v. Daniels: In 2022, Patrick Daniels was convicted in federal court for possessing a firearm while being an “unlawful user” of marijuana, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3). Because of that conviction, he was forever banned from possessing firearms, a fundamental right protected by the Second Amendment. Yesterday, a Fifth Circuit panel held that ban unconstitutional as applied to Mr. Daniels. “In short, our history and tradition may support some limits on an intoxicated person’s right to carry a w...  Read More

"Frame or Receiver" Rule

From Firearms Policy Coalition:  From Firearms Policy Coalition:  WASHINGTON, DC (August 8, 2023) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and FPC Action Foundation (FPCAF) responded to the Supreme Court’s order in VanDerStok v. Garland, which will allow ATF’s “Frame or Receiver” Rule to go into effect while the government appeals the district court’s judgment that vacated it. The case will now continue at the Fifth Circuit where oral arguments are scheduled for September 7th. “We’re deeply disappointed that the Court pressed pause on our defeat of ATF’s rule effectively redefining ‘firearm’ and ‘frame or receiver’ under federal law,” said Cody J. Wisniewski, FPCAF’s General Counsel and Vice President of Legal, and FPC’s counsel in th...  Read More