BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2510 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair AB 2510 (Linder) - As Introduced February 19, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Public Safety |Vote:|7 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill requires the Attorney General (AG) to develop a license to carry a concealed firearm (CCW), with uniform information and criteria that may be used as indicia of proof of licensure throughout the state. Specifically, this bill: 1)Requires the AG to develop a uniform CCW license that may be used as indicia of proof of licensure throughout the state. 2)Requires the AG to approve the use of licenses issued by local agencies if they contain specified information and a recent AB 2510 Page 2 photograph of the applicant. 3)Requires the AG to retain exemplars of approved licenses and maintain a list of agencies issuing local licenses. FISCAL EFFECT: Minor absorbable cost to DOJ. COMMENTS: 1)Background/Purpose. Current law authorizes a county sheriff or municipal police chief to issue a license to carry a firearm capable of being concealed upon the person, if specified conditions are met and specific applicant personal information is provided. According to the author, "as a practical matter, the current CCW license is not produced in a format that is easy to carry on one's person. In response, some sheriff offices currently provide a county identification card, which provides additional security features, and often includes a photograph of the licensee. This county-issued card cannot take the place of the standard DOJ CCW license, however, and licensees end up carrying both documents. "It makes sense to carry one's CCW license on his or her person when armed. It also stands to reason that issuers of CCW licenses should be able to provide these documents in a more convenient way that improves public safety by allowing better identification of CCW holders. This bill simply authorizes county-issued CCW identifications to be carried in AB 2510 Page 3 lieu of the standard DOJ form, as long as it contains all of the information currently required by law, as well as a photograph of the licensee." 2)Support: According to the California State Sheriffs' Association, "This bill simply authorizes county-issued CCW identification to be carried in lieu of the standard DOJ form, as long as it contains all of the information currently required by law, as well as a photograph of the licensee. Nothing in AB 2510 requires a permitting agency to do anything different than what they currently do - the bill merely provides an alternative avenue to ensure proper licensure and identification." 3)Argument in Opposition: According to the Firearms Policy Coalition , ""We feel that the solution is simple; if the state wishes to update and modernize the licenses (photo, security features, size, material, color, etc...) then it should construct a uniform, statewide policy and not force DOJ to just ratify whatever the local issuing authority prints or produces." Analysis Prepared by:Pedro Reyes / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 AB 2510 Page 4