Anti-gun Democrats in the California legislature have advanced four more punitive bills out of their policy committees, all of which infringe on lawful gun owners’ Second Amendment rights while having no effect on violent criminals.

If passed by the legislature and signed by anti-gun Gov. Gavin Newsom, AB  2917 would make the state’s already unconstitutional red-flag law even more dangerous to lawful gun owners. the measure would allow the court to also consider “threats” directed toward a group or location when decision whether to issue the order.

If issued, these Gun Violence Protective Orders result in a five-year prohibition for possessing a firearm, and the orders are subject to indefinite renewals. The measure will next be considered by the House Committee for Appropriations.

Three anti-gun Senate bills have also been passed by committees. SB 53 is a so-called “safe storage” proposal that would prohibit firearm possession in the home unless the firearms are stored in a locked box or safe that is approved by the state Department of Justice and renders them inaccessible to anyone other than the owner. As NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action pointed out in a recent alert to members, this measure ignores the U.S. Supreme Court decision in D.C. v. Heller that argued that storage requirements that prevent gun owners from easily accessing their firearms are unconstitutional. 

Another proposal, SB 1038, greatly shortens the current reporting time frame for those who are victims of gun theft, effectively victimizing them a second time after their property has been stolen from them. The bill’s language states: “Every person shall report the loss or theft of a firearm they own or possess to a local law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction in which the theft or loss occurred within 48 hours of the time they knew or reasonably should have known that the firearm had been stolen or lost.”

Current state law gives those whose guns are stolen five days to report the thefts. So, the new proposal cuts that reporting time by more than half, burdening lawful gun owners while ignoring the criminals who stole the firearms.

The other measure passed out of committee before the deadline was SB 1253, which would prohibit an individual in California from possessing a firearm without a valid Firearm Safety Card. California law already requires a person to have a Firearms Safety Card to purchase or receive a firearm, but not to continue owning a gun. This proposal would make a current Firearms Safety Card mandatory for continuing ownership of a firearm, along with setting a renewal requirement of every five years.