BILL NUMBER: AJR 5	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Gomez

                        JANUARY 17, 2013

   Relative to firearms.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   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.



   WHEREAS, Assault weapons are a class of semiautomatic firearms
designed with military features that allow those weapons to shoot
large amounts of fire quickly and accurately. They are
distinguishable from standard sporting firearms by features such as
pistol grips and the ability to accept a detachable magazine; and
   WHEREAS, Assault weapons have been used in many shootings,
including the December 14, 2012, Newtown, Connecticut, school
shooting where a man used a .223 caliber Bushmaster semiautomatic
assault rifle with a 30-round magazine resulting in the deaths of 20
children and six adults; and
   WHEREAS, The federal assault weapons ban, passed in 1994 with the
strong leadership of Senator Dianne Feinstein, banned certain models
of semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines that
hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The ban expired on September
13, 2004, and has not been reauthorized; and
   WHEREAS, A United States Department of Justice study found that
the federal assault weapons ban was responsible for a 6.7 percent
decline in total gun murders; and
   WHEREAS, The use of assault weapons in crime declined by more than
two-thirds by about nine years after the 1994 federal assault
weapons ban took place; and
   WHEREAS, Since the expiration of the federal assault weapons ban,
37 percent of police departments reported seeing a noticeable
increase in criminals' use of assault weapons; and
   WHEREAS, Since the expiration of the federal assault weapons ban,
assault weapons have been used in at least 459 incidents, resulting
in 385 deaths and 455 injuries; and
   WHEREAS, Senator Feinstein has announced that she will introduce a
bill in January 2013 to ban the sale, transfer, importation, and
manufacturing of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity
magazines; and
   WHEREAS, The proposed legislation will cover 120 specifically
named firearms, certain other firearms that can accept a detachable
magazine and have one or more military characteristics, and
large-capacity magazines capable of accepting more than 10 rounds;
and
   WHEREAS, The proposed legislation will strengthen the 1994 federal
assault weapons ban by moving from a two characteristic test to a
one characteristic test, adding a ban on the importation of assault
weapons and large-capacity magazines, and eliminating the 10-year
sunset that allowed the original ban to expire; and
   WHEREAS, The proposed legislation will require that grandfathered
weapons be registered under the National Firearms Act, bans the
transfer of grandfathered large capacity magazines, imposes a safe
storage requirement for grandfathered firearms, and establishes a
voluntary buy-back program for grandfathered assault weapons and
large-capacity magazines; and
   WHEREAS, The proposed legislation protects legitimate hunters and
the rights of existing gun owners by grandfathering weapons legally
possessed on the date of enactment, exempting over 900 specifically
named weapons used for hunting and sporting purposes, and exempting
antique, manually operated, and permanently disabled weapons; and
   WHEREAS, Senator Feinstein has been working with her staff for
over a year on this proposed legislation to take the most dangerous
weapons of war off the streets while protecting the rights of gun
owners; and
   WHEREAS, Because our borders are porous and only a small number of
states regulate assault weapons and large-capacity magazines,
without a comprehensive federal law even states that take steps to
protect their communities from these weapons are vulnerable to
criminals who use them; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President and the
Congress of the United States to support and pass Senator Feinstein'
s proposed legislation prohibiting the sale, transfer, importation,
and manufacturing of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines;
and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
author for appropriate distribution.