BILL ANALYSIS �
AJR 45
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR 45 (Feuer)
As Introduced August 6, 2012
Majority vote
PUBLIC SAFETY 4-1
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|Ayes:|Ammiano, Cedillo, | | |
| |Mitchell, Skinner | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Knight | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Urges the President and Congress of the United States
to reauthorize the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Resolves that the Legislature urges the President and the
Congress of the United States to reauthorize the Federal
Assault Weapons Ban, which Congress did not review in 2004.
2)Finds and declares that assault weapons are a class of
semiautomatic firearms designed with military features that
allow them to spray 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.
3)Finds and declares that assault weapons are frequently used in
mass shootings, including the 1993 101 California Street
attack which involved two TEC-9 semiautomatic handguns, and
the recent Aurora, Colorado shooting which involved an AR-15
style semiautomatic assault rifle with a 100-round ammunition
drum which would have been prohibited under the Federal
Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004, if it had been in
effect.
4)Finds and declares that the Federal Assault Weapons Ban,
passed in 1994 with the strong leadership of Senator Dianne
Feinstein, banned certain models of semiautomatic assault
weapons, as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines that
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hold more than 10 rounds.
5)Finds and declares that seven states, including California,
have enacted laws banning assault weapons. The District of
Columbia and five large urban cities in the United States have
local laws banning assault weapons. California and New Jersey
have the most comprehensive approaches to defining assault
weapons. Originally passed in 1989, California law bans
roughly 75 assault weapon types, models, and series, by name,
and provides a one-feature generic test for rifles and
pistols.
6)Finds and declares that since the expiration of the Federal
Assault Weapons Ban, 450 violent crimes involving assault
weapons were committed and 750 individuals were shot by
assault weapons, 350 of whom were killed.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Assault weapons are
frequently used in high profile, mass shootings. In spite of
this fact, in 2004 the federal government allowed the 1994
Federal Assault Weapons Ban to expire. Nevertheless, the recent
tragedy in Aurora underscores-as have so many previous
tragedies--the need for a national assault weapons ban. How
many more Americans must die in mass shootings before we take
this obvious, common-sense step? Here in California we've
outlawed these deadly, military-grade weapons. But that's not
enough - without a comprehensive federal law, even states like
ours, which take steps to protect our communities from these
weapons, are vulnerable to criminals who use them.
"The assault weapons ban meant fewer Americans were killed by
assault weapons. Studies show a significant decrease in the use
of these weapons in crimes committed during the period of 1994
to 2004 when they were banned by the federal law. During the
first nine years of the ban, the use of assault weapons in crime
dropped by two-thirds. The number of gun murders in the country
dropped 7 percent during the ban. Since the ban's expiration,
750 individuals have been shot by assault weapons, of which 350
were killed. Additionally, police chiefs across the country
have reported increases in assault weapons used in crime and
used against them.
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"We must not allow another tragedy to occur before the national
assault weapons ban is reenacted. The federal government needs
to re-authorize the ban."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Gabriel Caswell / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744
FN: 0005041