AJR 5, as introduced, Gomez. Firearms: assault weapons.
This measure would urge the President and Congress of the United States to support and pass Senator Dianne Feinstein’s proposed legislation prohibiting the sale, transfer, importation, and manufacturing of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, Assault weapons are a class of semiautomatic
2firearms designed with military features that allow those weapons
3to shoot large amounts of fire quickly and accurately. They are
4distinguishable from standard sporting firearms by features such
5as pistol grips and the ability to accept a detachable magazine; and
6WHEREAS, Assault weapons have been used in many
7shootings, including the December 14, 2012, Newtown,
8Connecticut, school shooting where a man used a .223 caliber
9Bushmaster semiautomatic assault rifle with a 30-round magazine
10resulting in the deaths of 20 children and six adults; and
11WHEREAS, The federal assault weapons ban, passed in 1994
12with the strong leadership of Senator Dianne Feinstein, banned
13certain models of semiautomatic assault weapons and
14large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of
P2 1ammunition. The ban expired on September 13, 2004, and has not
2been reauthorized; and
3WHEREAS, A United States Department of Justice study found
4that the federal assault weapons ban was responsible for a 6.7
5percent decline in total gun murders; and
6WHEREAS, The use of assault weapons in crime declined by
7more than two-thirds by about nine years after the 1994 federal
8assault weapons ban took place; and
9WHEREAS, Since the expiration of the federal assault weapons
10ban, 37 percent of police departments reported seeing a noticeable
11increase in criminals’ use of assault weapons; and
12WHEREAS, Since the expiration of the federal assault weapons
13ban, assault weapons have been used in at least 459 incidents,
14resulting in 385 deaths and 455 injuries; and
15WHEREAS, Senator Feinstein has announced that she will
16introduce a bill in January 2013 to ban the sale, transfer,
17importation, and manufacturing of military-style assault weapons
18and large-capacity magazines; and
19WHEREAS, The proposed legislation will cover 120 specifically
20named firearms, certain other firearms that can accept a detachable
21magazine and have one or more military characteristics, and
22large-capacity magazines capable of accepting more than 10
23rounds; and
24WHEREAS, The proposed legislation will strengthen the 1994
25federal assault weapons ban by moving from a two characteristic
26test to a one characteristic test, adding a ban on the importation of
27assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, and eliminating
28the 10-year sunset that allowed the original ban to expire; and
29WHEREAS, The proposed legislation will require that
30grandfathered weapons be registered under the National Firearms
31Act, bans the transfer of grandfathered large capacity magazines,
32imposes a safe storage requirement for grandfathered firearms,
33and establishes a voluntary buy-back program for grandfathered
34assault weapons and large-capacity magazines; and
35WHEREAS, The proposed legislation protects legitimate hunters
36and the rights of existing gun owners by grandfathering weapons
37legally possessed on the date of enactment, exempting over 900
38specifically named weapons used for hunting and sporting
39purposes, and exempting antique, manually operated, and
40permanently disabled weapons; and
P3 1WHEREAS, Senator Feinstein has been working with her staff
2for over a year on this proposed legislation to take the most
3dangerous weapons of war off the streets while protecting the
4rights of gun owners; and
5WHEREAS, Because our borders are porous and only a small
6number of states regulate assault weapons and large-capacity
7magazines, without a comprehensive federal law even states that
8take steps to protect their communities from these weapons are
9vulnerable to criminals who use them; now, therefore, be it
10Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
11California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President and
12the Congress of the United States to support and pass Senator
13Feinstein’s proposed legislation prohibiting the sale, transfer,
14importation, and manufacturing of assault weapons and
15large-capacity magazines; and be it further
16Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
17of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
18States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
19Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
20from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
21author for appropriate distribution.
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