Don’t get me wrong, California is a great place to visit. However, this is but one of the many reasons I don’t want to live there. Opportunists within the State’s legislature have used the recent tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado as a reason to introduce legislation that would outlaw the so-called ‘bullet button.’ So what’s a Bullet Button you might ask? I can tell you that I didn’t know what one was until recently so I am going to simplify the issue for you.
Unfortunately, California’s gun laws are indescribably stupid and include a ban on removable magazines from ‘assault weapons.’ Fortunately, one of the side effects of poorly written legislation is the application of ingenuity. In this case, California gun enthusiasts have developed a device that conforms with California law yet allows them to use removable magazines in their ‘assault weapons.’ A pistol grip on a rifle makes it an ‘Assault Weapon’ in California. How silly is that? Because of that pistol grip, the law requires that a tool must be used to remove the magazine from the weapon. In the case of the Bullet Button a separate bullet is used explicitly as a tool to push a detent located in an AR’s mag catch. This in turn allows the removal of the magazine. Granted, there’s yet another way around this virtual magazine ban; the use of a ‘featureless’ gun. Somehow a ‘featureless’ gun isn’t threatening and you can use a standard magazine release. Sound stupid yet?
Apparently, somebody feels very threatened by the slow, unwieldy process of using a Bullet Button. Threatened enough that they have introduced SB249.
Support California firearms owners by helping them to stop this ridiculous legislation before it becomes law. Otherwise, I’m afraid the only alternative to stopping the spread of this mindset would be to nuke the whole state from orbit, just to be sure.
No need to nuke the whole state – just Sacramento. And then send in the HKs to mop up any survivors or stragglers…
The places controlling the gun laws are the bay area cities like SF and LA. Surprisingly the capital Sacramento is a “Shall Issue” county when it comes to CCW and the majority of the counties outside the bay areas are conservative.
I understand that it seems like California has crazy gun laws and it is amusing to trash them, but the firearm loving folk here are basically on the front lines of defending the second amendment. We would love your support in anyway as we fight for our rights and possibly yours since gun control may come again on the federal level.
Such as sad state of affairs out this way. The fight never stops against the onslaught of terrible legislation that does nothing to stop violent criminals.
A good place to visit indeed Eric and we enjoyed having you.
Vic Di Cosola
As a former CA resident, I am very sad about this. I read the latest version of the law and the ban is not for just “assault weapons” that meet the popular culture definition by left-wing media or politicians. The newest draft redefines ANY centerfire semi-automatic firearm that has a detachable magazine as an illegal “assault weapon”. This includes pistols, shotguns, and rifles.
So everyone that owns a 1911; including my 96 year old grandmother, will be a felon on July 2, 2013 unless they turn in their legally owned guns under this law. There are no exemptions, registrations, compensation or other means to retain legally acquired firearms. It is a turn ’em in or go to jail law.
I still don’t understand why gun owners across the country can use California as a punch line, and maintain a “it can’t happen here” attitude.
If the 2nd amendment is violated in one state, all citizens should take notice.
Agreed
As an American Citizen, LAPD Police Officer and former Marine, I’m disgusted by the State I currently reside. I cannot wait to be a former Ca resident.
Moving away only emboldens, encourages and entrenches those who oppose the very rights & freedoms we all enjoy. Quit running away, stand and fight for what you believe. If you like this state and don’t like seeing it overrun, stick around and fight the good fight.
To stay and fight when there is no hope is a waste of time in this situation. There are not enough people of normal mental aptitude to make a difference in our favor in Commiefornia (If there were, this would not be the situation, as it is obvious that anyone of our mindset will vote).
If you have an opportunity to live free, you must take it. Why deny yourself what you love, when you can cross a State line?
Calguns.net.
There are a lot of people fighting.
I see no reason to fall on your sword for the shortcomings of others. I agree with your choice Ed to vote with your residence by moving to a state whose laws you agree with.
i live in california. it is sad what is happening.
felons or thugs with illegally configured automatic weapons with silencers and removable magazines are going to still have their illegal weapons. while good citizens who stick by the law will be defenseless because they will have their legally configured semi-auto rifle with a weird grip, and 10 round fixed magazines taken away…
makes perfect sense
if you live in california,
go to http://www.calguns.com
and support the fight against SB249
Thank you for your time.
I think at this point New York State (not the City) is actually a better place than CA for gun ownership. For example, we have no lists of handguns you can or can’t own. We are also able to own “preban” military type rifles without registering them. Our “postban” rifles are still pretty decent, and we can have them use removable mags.
I love CA more and more every time I go – great cities, amazing mountain and desert scenery and coastline.
But damn, those gun laws would make living there untenable for me.
I will not move there until they start paying the Second Amendment a bit more respect…
My wife and I have been holding off on relocating but I think that SB 249 may just push us over the edge. Looking at San Antonio or Austin. I like Texas and Texans, they don’t tolerate this kind of bullshit. The only thing is, I know a lot of Californians have already relocated there. Any Californian fleeing their state for Texas should be required to swear an oath of loyalty to Texas before they are allowed in. We don’t need a repeat of the same sort of stupidity that ruined California affecting Texas.
Seems to me that California shares a lot in common with Canada, especially when it comes to oddball firearm legislation / regulation. I hope you guys manage to vote down SB 249.
The problem is that CA voters have no say at all in this matter. The original State Senate bill was an agricultural bill that already passed out of some committees when Sen. Yee used a “gut and amend” privilege to re-write it as a massive gun ban. It will be heard and voted on by a Democrat controlled state senate and the chance of it passing is better than 80%. The “hope” for CA voters is that the governor, Jerry Brown, vetos it or it gets struck down by the courts.
Good luck to gun owners in CA.
The only silver lining is CA is a wake up call for the rest of the country.
Unfortunately you’re correct and the courts will probably be the only hope, it will not be the Gov. unless we’re all wrong.
While we hope California voters have some say in their own state of affairs, I must say that we have plenty of empty houses over here in Arizona. Surely you will find our gun control appropriately lacking.
I just took a few minutes to send Senator Yee an email, it’s pretty easy. Googled him up and there’s a nice form on his office website that allows you to contact him. It was most certainly futile action, but I feel a little tiny bit more of a citizen and a little better. Only took a minute or three.
Still not as bad as the uk no semi autos or pistols at all even police have no fire arms unless they become a firearms officer (kinda like swat) and even then r only allowed semis, u guys r still really lucky over there from a shooting perspective…
Good luck to you guys in CA fighting this bill. I really hope it doesn’t pass but…..you know how it is.
Living in Jersey is just as bad. There’s “technically” a CCW license….it’s just that no one gets them…..maybe half a dozen are issued per year in the whole state.
I don’t think staying and fighting the legislation is really an option though. When everyone and their sister in law thinks that owning a gun is dangerous, what do you do? You tell someone that you own a rifle and go plinking with it on the weekends and they look at you as if you’ve got some illness or might suddenly become violent.
If the mindset is so entrenched with the “guns are evil so gunowners are dangerous evil people” mindset….it’s beyond difficult to have reasonable gun laws in the state.
I’ve seen this at plenty of gun shows in CA. Luckily, I spend most of the year in Washington so I just have my AR up there. How, though, does one operate the safety selector switch with these grip wraps?
When it comes to guns, the best thing about California is that Nevada, Oregon and Arizona are right next door.