BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 678 (Hill) - User-authorized firearms
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Version: April 20, 2015 |Policy Vote: PUB. S. 5 - 2 |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Hearing Date: May 11, 2015 |Consultant: Jolie Onodera |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: SB 678 would require the Department of Justice (DOJ)
to convene a workgroup and prepare a report to the Legislature
on user-authorized firearms, as specified.
Fiscal
Impact: One-time costs to DOJ potentially in excess of $250,000
(General Fund) to convene the workgroup, compile, and submit the
mandated report.
Background: The development of user-authorized handguns or "smart guns" is
currently under way both nationally and abroad. Researchers are
seeking to develop features to prevent unauthorized or
accidental use by any person other than an authorized user
through various means such as biometric recognition technology,
which is used to verify a person's identity in order to prevent
SB 678 (Hill) Page 1 of
?
unauthorized access.
Legislative efforts promoting user-authorized handguns have been
pursued over many years in several states, as well as in
Congress. In 2002, New Jersey became the first state to enact
"smart gun" legislation that would eventually require new
handguns to contain a mechanism that would allow only their
owners to fire them.
Proposed Law:
This bill would require the DOJ to do the following:
(1)Survey the state of the current user-authorized firearm
industry.
(2)Assess market conditions and the barriers to the market for
user-authorized firearms in the state.
(3)Investigate methods to increase the availability and use of
user-authorized firearms in the state.
(4)Make recommendations on manufacturer performance and
reliability standards and how those standards should be
tested for user-authorized firearms.
This bill would require the DOJ to convene a working group, with
specified representatives, in 2016 to provide recommendations on
requirements (1) through (4) noted above.
This bill requires the DOJ to report its findings to the
Legislature on or before January 1, 2017.
Prior
Legislation: SB 293 (DeSaulnier) 2013 would have defined
owner-authorized handguns (or "smart guns") and provided that if
and when two owner-authorized handguns are placed on the DOJ
roster of not unsafe handguns, two years from the date the
second handgun was placed on the roster, DOJ shall not place a
handgun on the roster that is not an owner-authorized handgun.
This bill was held on the Suspense File of the Assembly
Committee on Appropriations.
SB 697 (DeSaulnier) 2009 was substantially similar to SB 293.
This bill was referred to but not heard in the Senate Committee
on Public Safety.
AB 2235 (DeSaulnier) 2008 was substantially similar to SB 293.
SB 678 (Hill) Page 2 of
?
This bill was held on the Suspense File of this committee.
-- END --