California has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. They’re called “common sense” gun laws by the politicians responsible for creating them and are presumably designed to make people safer and save lives.
Other states are looking toward California as a model to copy, so these laws could be coming your way soon. But are they sensible?
This week, I purchased a new handgun. Let’s take a look at some of those “common sense” gun laws in action.
Handgun Roster
The first thing I ran into is the California Firearm Roster. It’s a list of guns that can legally be sold in California. For more than 20 years, the list didn’t change. One of the requirements for being added to the list was that all guns had to implement “microstamping technology” to imprint a serial number on the casing when the gun is fired. That technology doesn’t exist.
But California insisted that by enforcing the law, companies wanting to do business in the state would invent the technology. That didn’t happen, mostly because it’s not feasible, so for decades Californians were unable to buy a late-model gun.
Not all that long ago, California either lost or gave up on a case challenging the microstamping requirement. So, guns are slowly being added to the list. There are still other stupid-yet-probably-Constitutional rules for adding a gun to the roster, so not every gun makes it. But at least the list now contains guns that are less than 20 years old.
Technological advances have made guns safer and more accurate than they were twenty years ago. But California has spent millions of taxpayer dollars making sure that none of the newer weapons were available to its citizens. That certainly doesn’t sound like “common sense” to me.
Unfortunately, the gun I really wanted isn’t on the roster. But I did find one that was recently approved that would be OK. Or at least good enough.
Firearm Excise Tax
The next thing I ran into is an 11% Firearm Excise Tax. That’s in addition to the nearly 10% sales tax in my area. I can’t imagine this is Constitutional as it unfairly impacts lower-income people the most. So, I fully expect that this will be challenged, declared unconstitutional, and I’ll eventually get my money back.
But I really wanted a new gun now, so I decided to pony up for the ransom.
Great! Here’s my plastic. Let’s wrap this baby up and head home.
Hold on thar Baba Looey! Not so fast.
There’s a Federal mandatory waiting period of three days before I can walk out the door with my new weapon. This was put in place after Reagan was shot. The idea is to put a hurdle in front of someone who may be emotionally charged and is buying a weapon for the express purpose of harming someone else.
OK. This isn’t a California policy so I can’t really blame them for that.
But California adds another week, so the three-day waiting period turns into a ten-day waiting period. My gun wasn’t in stock at the local store, and it was going to take a few days to arrive. No problem. I have to wait ten days anyway. So, we can just start the ten-day counter while the gun is being shipped, and by the time it arrives at the store, I’ll have part of the wait behind me.
Couldn’t be simpler. I mean, it’s the commonsense approach. Right?
Wrong.
The Wait Isn’t Over
For reasons known only to California politicians, the ten-day counter doesn’t start when I make the purchase. The counter starts after the gun arrives at the store. That took five days. Then I had to go back to the dealer and fill out a bunch more paperwork.
I had to swear that I’m not an illegal alien (Those are my words, not theirs. Though thanks to Trump, those will soon be their words too.). I had to swear that I’m not a felon and that I’m not a fugitive from the law. Only then does my ten-day clock start. So, for my purchase, the waiting period is more like 15 days and some change.
By making me wait, everyone will be safer. That’s the idea anyway. Because, if I purchased my gun with the intent of harming someone, the waiting period will give me some time to calm down.
Too Many To Choose From
Here’s the thing. I already have two handguns and a 12-gauge shotgun registered with the State of California. So, if I really wanted to harm someone, I could just use one of the three guns California already knows I have in my possession.
Not only that, my wife has three handguns registered in California. And we live in the same house. Which the State of California knows. They know I have immediate access to at least six weapons. Making me wait any period of time at all for my new gun is ridiculous because, if I were really intent on harming someone, I’d just use one of the guns I already have.
Here’s where it gets really crazy. Most of you who follow my stuff know that I have a carry permit. So, if I were really adamant about harming someone in the heat of the moment, it’s highly unlikely that I’d wait to purchase a new gun to do the deed. I’d probably just immediately use the weapon that’s nearly always attached to my hip.
Divide By Zero Error
Statistically speaking, someone licensed to carry a concealed weapon is zero percent likely to commit a violent crime. It probably has happened at least once so the number isn’t actually zero. But it’s as close to zero as you can practically get and still not be zero.
With a concealed carry permit, the State of California has already done a thorough background check and deemed that I’m safe to carry a weapon. Just not any weapon. My permit specifically states which weapons I’m allowed to carry. Technically speaking, I’m not even supposed to hold my wife’s purse while she’s shopping. Because my permit doesn’t allow me to carry her weapons.
Before I can legally carry my new gun, I would need to add my new gun to my permit.
That wouldn’t be a problem except that permits are renewed every two years, and I just renewed mine. And there is no way to add a weapon to your permit mid-period. Before I can legally carry my new gun, I have to wait 23 months, then renew my permit and add my new weapon.
Leading The Way In Making Things More Difficult
Remember when I said that people with concealed weapon permits are just about the least likely people to commit a violent crime? Well, California decided that almost zero just wasn’t good enough. So, they increased the requirements for getting a carry permit. Before I could renew my permit, I had to sit through eight hours of classroom training. If you’re applying for a new permit, sixteen hours are required.
Remember, the training is supposed to make everyone safer. The end result is that applicants are able to pass a 30-ish question test proving our ability to responsibly carry a firearm.
The test includes questions like, “Are you legally allowed to shoot someone in the back?”, or “You’re having an argument with your neighbor, and he threatens you. An hour later you see him in his driveway, can you legally shoot him?”
Those aren’t the actual questions, but they’re pretty close. Trust me. It doesn’t take sixteen, or even eight, hours to learn enough to pass that test. I could easily get the information I need from a well-written pamphlet.
The test hardly ever changes, but the lawmakers decided a couple of years ago to add a question to help get that percentage I mentioned even closer to zero.
Yeah, That’s Going To Help
Permit holders have two copies of their permit. You’ll receive an embossed paper copy which you keep somewhere safe, and a plastic card for your wallet. When you pick up your newly-renewed permit, you’re supposed to surrender both the paper and plastic versions.
Apparently, people weren’t doing that. I know that because the question they added to the test that measures firearm proficiency is this:
True or false, “When you pick up your renewed permit, you must surrender both the paper and plastic versions.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t see how that question is going to make anyone safer. It could make some nameless bureaucrat’s day a little easier because they’ll have all their paperwork. But it’s not going to have even the tiniest bit of impact on the number of violent crimes that are committed by permit holders. Because that number is already as close to zero as you can get.
Now, a gun isn’t much good without ammo, right? So, let’s buy some.
So far in this process, I’ve had a deep-dive background check before I renewed my permit. Then, less than two weeks later, I had to go through another background check before I could buy a gun. In California, before I can buy any ammo, you guessed it, I need to go through another background check. Oh yeah, I have to also pay the 11% Firearm Excise Tax on any ammo I buy.
There’s Nothing Sensible About It
I could continue for at least an hour describing more of California’s ridiculous gun laws but this should be enough to paint the picture.
The fact is, California’s “common sense” gun laws are anything but. Calling them “common sense” is just another misleading Leftist marketing slogan like “Black Lives Matter”, “safe and effective”, and “Build Back Better”. The name is designed so nobody takes a close look at what’s going on.
You’re not going to make people safer by making it harder for law-abiding citizens to own guns. Well, that’s not technically true, by making it harder for honest people to protect themselves, California is working hard to make itself a safer place for criminals.
