California SB249 Would Outlaw Mag-Equipped Semi-Auto Rifles
After California banned the sale and ownership of many semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, AR lower receivers were developed with devices such as the “Bullet Button” that required the use of a “tool” to remove magazines. These tool-activated ARs were deemed legal in California by state authorities. Now, when you go to a High Power match in California, you’ll see shooters using ARs fitted with bullet buttons. This has allowed California-based shooters, such as the National Champion California Grizzlies Junior Team, to continue to compete in matches, without having to switch to bolt-action rifles. That may all change soon….
SB249 Would Outlaw Many Current Semi-Auto Rifles and Mandate Confiscation
California Senate Bill 249, introduced by CA State Senator Leland Yee (D. San Francisco), renders bullet button-equipped ARs (and similar semi-autos) illegal. Yee’s SB249 changes the definition of what constitutes a detachable magazine for a semi-automatic firearm, potentially making an estimated one million semi-automatic rifles legally sold in that state “illegal to possess” as of July 1, 2013. Ironically, SB249 was originally an innocuous agriculture bill that passed in the California Senate back in May. But, by way of a sneaky amendment, Senator Yee turned the bill into a wide-reaching gun ban.
If passed, SB249 could force owners of currently-legal semi-automatic rifles to surrender their rifles or face confiscation. Though semi-auto rifle owners would be required to turn in their guns (or face imprisonment), SB249 has no provisions to allow reimbursement for the loss of valuable property. Worse yet, the bill doesn’t require a public notice program to advise owners of the change in state law.
This bill appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to media reports of recent shootings involving ARs. But in fact, the overall crime rate has declined in California while bullet-button ARs have been legal to buy and shoot. So SB249 serves no useful purpose. The NRA-ILA recommends that all Californians contact their state legislators and urge them to oppose SB249.
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Tags: AR15, Bullet Button, California, SB249, Senator Leland Yee, Service Rifle
More information regarding this piece of bad legislation can be found at http://www.stopsb249.org/ or at the Second Amendment section of the forums at http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum
Who needs California anyway? We should sever all ties with this huge embarrassment of a state.
And who introduced that bill? The senator representing San Francisco, of all places!
Bit by bit shooting is being controlled, and what use to be the norm is being taken away by people in the gun lobby masquerading as government MP.
If states can not regulate their borders because it is addressed by federal law, possession of magazine equiped AR-15s are federally legal and protected under the second amendment as suit should be filed in federal court making it impossible for the Nazis in California from taking away our rights.
SB-374 if it isn’t Vetoed by Governor Brown soon will go into law and ban semi-automatic centerfire rifles with detachable magazines.Rifles like the Mini-14,Mini-30,Kel-Tec Su16,M1 garand and others that don’t make any sense to ban.SB-249 is a dead bill.We should go on a Mega-Million march to Sacramento with our AR-15’s,M4’s and demand that there will be no more anti-AR15-M4 legislation.