Last week there were a lot of gun-control bills in several different committees. Here is an update on where those bills are currently located in the process. If you have not taken action on these bills, there is still time – please use each of the Take Action buttons below to ensure your state Senator and Assemblymember and the respective committee members hear your opposition to these serious gun-control bills.
SB 1143 requires a permit to purchase a firearm and institutes a 10-day waiting period before a person can take possession of their legally purchased firearm. SB 1143 is scheduled to be heard in the House Appropriations Committee where we expect it to pass and be sent to the Senate floor.
SB 1240 bans a provided list of rifles, including many that are utilized by millions of Americans for self-defense and hunting, and also goes to the additional step of adding “features” of firearms that expand the list to hundreds more. SB 1240 can receive a vote on the Senate floor at any time.
SB 5078 creates a special cause of action for individual victims to sue firearms manufacturers for the violent acts of third parties. Public testimony was taken by the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Jan. 31. We will inform you when SB 5078 will be scheduled for a vote by the committee.
SB 5232 requires an individual who wants to purchase a firearm to first complete an officially sanctioned firearms training course, which must also be completed every five years to maintain a permit. It also requires a 10-day waiting period prior to a new gun owner taking possession of their firearm and could make this waiting period longer, or indefinitely, if the state fails to complete background checks during the original 10-day wait. SB 5232 was originally scheduled for public testimony on Feb. 2 in the Law & Justice Committee. The committee ran out of time and it has been rescheduled for virtual and in-person public testimony on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 8 a.m. in Senate hearing room 4.
HB 1178 repeals the state’s firearms preemption law. No action was taken on HB 1178 by the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on Friday, and it has not been rescheduled yet. We will be checking daily for changes and will inform you when that change happens.
HB 1234 does away with “innocent until proven guilty” by requiring an accused animal owner to pay for the care and boarding of their animal while it is held pending the outcome of the charges. HB 1234 could be heard any day on the House floor.
Don’t forget to tell your family, friends and fellow sportsmen, and urge them to take action. You can also visit our legislative map to see what issues we are monitoring in Washington and around the nation.
About Sportsmen’s Alliance: Working in all 50 state legislatures, the Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public and youth education, legal defense in state and federal court and research to guide the decision-making process of all involved. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance at www.sportsmensalliance.org, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
