From now on, California will require all new-model semi-automatic handguns to be manufactured with microstamping technology (aka “ballistic imprinting”). This requirement went into effect on May 17th, when the California Attorney General’s office declared that technical and patent barriers to the implementation of microstamping had been removed.
To make a firearm compliant, firearms manufacturers must now engrave a gun’s make, model, and serial number on two distinct parts of each gun, including the firing pin, so that, in theory, this data is imprinted on the cartridge casing when the pistol is fired. If the microstamp on the end of the firing pin wears out, then the gun is considered “unsafe” under California law, and the owner may not sell or transfer the gun.
California’s microstamping law was enacted way back in 2007. However, by its terms, the law did not go into effect until the technology was mature and patent rights were resolved. With the State government claiming that microstamping is now practical, new gun models must have microstamping capability in order to be approved for civilian sale in California. This will, eventually serve as a de facto ban on new-model semi auto handguns in California. Brandon Combs, Executive Director of the Calguns Foundation, explains: “Manufacturers are not going to create a special run of firearms with all of these very burdensome manufacturing technologies just so they can comply and produce firearms for one market.” At present, as far as we can determine, no major gun-maker currently offers a microstamping-capable, semi-auto handgun for sale in the United States — not a single one.
Current “California-Approved” Semi-Auto Pistols Can Still Be Sold — For a Time
The “activation” of California’s microstamping requirement does NOT mean that semi-auto handguns currently on the California “approved” list can no longer be sold. The current inventory of “approved” handguns are “grandfathered”, so they may be sold so long as the manufacturers continue to pay annual handgun roster registration fees to the State of California. However, any new-model semi-auto pistol — even one with a minor design change from a previous version — will be blocked from sale in California unless it has the microstamping feature. If a manufacturer stops producing a particular handgun, replacing it with a newer, upgraded version, that newer model cannot be sold in California unless it is microstamp-capable. (We should add that the microstamp requirement does not apply to handguns sold to law enforcement agencies.)
What we can expect is that, in time, as handgun manufacturers replace old models with new models (or make modifications to existing models), fewer and fewer new semi-auto pistols will be offered for sale in California. If, for example, Glock updates its Glock 17, the new model could not be sold in California unless Glock outfits it with microstamping capability.
NRA Plans Legal Challenge
NRA Attorney C.D. Michel says that microstamping is a flawed and impractical technology: “This is not going to help solve crimes. [Microstamping] is easily defeated… and can be used to lead police down false alleys.” Michel notes that criminals can easily defeat the microstamp by filing the tips of firing pins. Overall, Michel believes, microstamping will not reduce crime, but it will cut off the supply of handguns available to Californians. He stated the the NRA plans a legal challenge to the implementation of microstamping in California.
While there is virtually no “real world” evidence that microstamping has ever solved actual crimes, there are many important criticisms of the “ballistic imprinting” technology:
Stamped casing can only be traced to the last registered owner, not to the person who used the gun when the casings were stamped. In the case of a stolen gun, as is the case for most firearms used in crime, the stamped case would not lead to the criminal.
Criminals could collect discarded brass from a firing range and salt crime scenes with microstamped cases, thereby providing false evidence against innocent people and increasing the workload for investigators.
Microstamping is easily defeated. Inexpensive files will remove microstamping. Firing pins are normally replaceable and can be changed with simple tools or without tools. Firing a large number of rounds will wear down the microstamp.
Microstamping is an immature technology, and has not been subjected to sufficient independent testing. Transfer of microstamped marks to the cases is less reliable than proponents claim.
A number of extreme gun control measures are currently being pushed through the California Legislature. In California’s State Senate, the Committee on Public Safety considered some of the most restrictive pieces of gun legislation yet proposed in California.
On April 17, the Public Safety Committee approved Senate Bill 293 that bans the sale of conventional handguns and implements owner-authorized “smart-gun” technology. This would block the sale of ANY handgun that was not “coded” to the gun owner (so that nobody else could shoot it). Of course, no such “smart” handguns are currently offered for sale by any major manufacturer.
As you’d expect, California is also moving forward on legislation to further restrict self-loading rifles. On April 16, the Senate Public Safety Committee, on a 5-2 party-line vote, approved Senate Bill 374. This bill expands the definition of “assault weapons” to ban the future sale of almost all semi-auto rifles that accept a detachable magazine. SB 374 now moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriation.
The California Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee recently considered Assembly Bill 760 which would impose a new 5% sales tax on all ammunition components (complete cartridge, bullet, or case). That’s a nickel per bullet or cartridge. We’re pleased to report that AB760 has been held in committee pending further study of its financial effects. The bill is “suspended” for the time being, but it could be reconsidered in the near future. According to the L.A. Times, “The state Board of Equalization noted in a review that the proposed tax would be in addition to an existing sales tax on bullets, and it said the new tax could become a burden to businesses.”
In addition to taxing ammunition directly, California legislators have introduced bills that would make it much more difficult to purchase ammunition. SB 53 mandates a background check for ammo purchases. In addition, SB 53 would require gun owners to obtain a permit to purchase ammo. The permit, good for one-year only, would have to be renewed annually with a recurring $50/year cost. “It’s a way to red-tape the right to bear arms to death,” said Chuck Michel, attorney for the California Rifle and Pistol Association. “It’s all part of a campaign of shame, the fight to make it as difficult as possible for law-abiding citizens to make the choice to have a firearm for self-defense.”
State-wide ban on Lead-containing Ammunition
In addition, the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife (WPW) approved AB 711, a bill that if passed and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown would extend the now limited condor range ban on traditional lead ammunition to the entire state. By its terms, AB 711 will “require the use of nonlead ammunition for the taking of all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, nongame birds, and nongame mammals, with any firearm.” This bill passed the WPW Committee and was re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
Gun owners who live or do business in California should strongly consider purchasing this 320-page book. California gun laws are complex and confusing. There are over 800 California state statutes regulating the manufacture, distribution, sale, possession, and use of firearms. There are thousands of overlapping federal laws regulating firearms that apply in California. And there are hundreds of administrative regulations, local ordinances, and California Department Justice Firearms Bureau written and unwritten policies that also apply.
On top of the already byzantine regulatory scheme, on January 1, 2012 California firearm laws were completely reorganized and re-numbered. Because of the complexity of the laws, and the recent statute number changes, inadvertent gun law violations by well-intentioned citizens are increasingly common. In the politicized legal environment of California “gun-control” laws, the consequences of even an inadvertent violation can be severe.
With all the overlapping regulations, it’s no wonder that confusion runs rampant among California gun owners, as well as among police, prosecutors, and judges. To protect yourself, you need to know the law. This book will help. California Gun Laws tells you how to legally buy, own, transport and possess firearms, and explains how you get your firearms or firearm rights back if they are taken away. The book warns about common legal “traps” that may ensnare California firearm owners.
Author Profile:C.D. (Chuck) Michel is an attorney with 20 years of experience representing the National Rifle Association (NRA) and California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA), as well as firearm manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and gun owners, Michel has been litigating civil and criminal firearm cases since 1991, many of which were high profile and attracted state and national media attention.
Team GLOCK member K.C. Eusebio won the High Overall Award at the World Speed Shooting Championship (aka Steel Challenge) held November 1-4 in Frostproof, Florida. This was the first time in the competition’s history that a Glock (albeit a modified version) boasted the lowest elapsed time over the 8-stage course of fire.
Using his hot-rodded Glock 17, 24-year-old Eusebio shot approximately 200 rounds in less than 79 seconds. That’s total time for multiple stages of steel targets set at 10 to 35 yards. The GLOCK, modified by Zev Technologies of California, had a C-More Red-dot sight, 3-port compensator and a textured silicon carbide grip coating. “Regardless of the modifications, it’s still a GLOCK,” commented Eusebio. “Flawless. This was my fourth championship win, the first time that’s been done by anyone.”
When it comes to raw speed on the Challenge course, Eusebio is the man. K.C. currently holds several world records in the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA), including the fastest time on the “Smoke And Hope” stage: 1.69 seconds to draw and hit five individual steel targets. That’s not a misprint — 1.69 seconds for five shots hitting five different plates. Here’s a video of K.C. Shooting “Smoke and Hope” in California a few years back when he was a member of the USAMU shooting team.
Eusebio told us: “We definitely set the bar high at this match. I shot record-breaking scores of 2.55 seconds on the “Pendulum” stage and 2.27 seconds on “5 To Go”, and came out on top in 4 of the 8 stages. I also averaged 1.80 seconds on the “Smoke and Hope” stage. Heads were turning, some said it couldn’t be done, but I had confidence in my ability and my Glock”.
Photo courtesy Shin Tanaka
The Steel Challenge was created in the early 1980s in Southern California, as a new and exciting addition to combat or practical shooting matches. The originators, Mike Dalton and Mike Fitchman, wanted an exciting alternative to paper targets and came up with the all-steel format. The match awards the fastest time, but accuracy is also critical. The Steel Challenge is now a hugely popular event with West Coast Championship in Piru, CA and East Coast Championship in Florida. There are also regional Steel Challenge Matches held around the country.
Tonight’s Episode of Shooting USA TV features the 2012 International Revolver Championship (IRC) from the Hogue Action Shooting Range in Morrow Bay, California. You can see another winning performance by Jerry Miculek, considered by many the greatest living revolver shooter.
The IRC, held in June, was the highlight of the 2012 revolver shooting season. More than 240 of the world’s top revolver shooters negotiated their way through 12 stages of fire putting more than 70,000 rounds down range.
Impossible Shots Tonight
Also tonight, Shooting USA’s “Impossible Shots” TV Show features more wheelgun action. Cisko puts a new twist on an old favorite, the El Presidente, but doing it with two six-guns. The challenge is to turn, fire twelve rounds, six double taps, with a gun exchange, in less than six seconds. Plus Jerry Miculek shows what he can do with two guns at the same time.
Shooting USA airs at 3:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 12:00 Midnight Eastern Time on the Outdoor Channel.
Impossible Shots airs at 3:00 PM, 10:30 PM, 2:00 AM Eastern time on the Outdoor Channel
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.
At the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships this past week, a young Californian tied a smallbore prone record. Matthew (Matt) Chezem won the Men’s 50m Prone Junior Title with 1290.4 points. Matt shot 590 on Day 1 and came back with 598 on Day 2. Matt’s 598 points tied a National Junior Record. That outstanding score placed him first going into the finals, with a one point lead over Spencer Upham from Washington. Chezem shot 102.4 points to Upham’s 102.5 points in the final, but Chezem’s lead was enough to secure the gold. Chezem, a student at Moorpark College in California, also coaches other junior shooters at the Los Angeles Rifle & Revolver Club.
Silver Medalist Upham, one of two 16-year-olds in the final, finished with 1289.5 total points. The bronze medal was a battle between Michael Matthews (3-Position winner) and Taylor Ciotola. Both entered the final at 1186 match points, but Matthews edged out Ciotola by just three-tenths of a point. Mathews 3rd place in 50m prone, along with his 50m 3-Position win, secured Matthews a place on the USA National Junior Team.
Imagine if your shooting club organized a public range day and 1500 people attended (including hundreds of first-time shooters). Now imagine that taking place in “gun-phobic” California. Well, believe it or not, this really happened when the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association (SLOSA) hosted its first annual SLOSA Expo. The January event drew more than 1,500 attendees who shot nearly 40,000 rounds while trying out a variety of shooting disciplines under the guidance of 150 volunteers. As a model event, the SLOSA Expo demonstrates how successful a well-organized Range Day Promotion can be.
Expo Introduces Hundreds of New Shooters to the Sport
The purpose of the Expo is to raise gun-safety awareness and expose non-shooting members of the public to what the shooting sports have to offer. The Expo fulfilled its charter by drawing in 63% new shooters to the SLOSA range. In fact, one-quarter of Expo participants fired their first shots ever.
At the SLOSA Expo, personal instruction, ammunition and loaner guns were provided at no cost to attendees — thanks to a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Men, women and children of all ages came from as far as 100 miles away to participate in the free fun event. Visitors could try a variety of disciplines including: archery, sporting clays, action pistol, black powder, cowboy action, and much more.
“This one-day event did more to promote the 2nd Amendment and the range itself than 20 years of the range simply being open.” Said Kevin Wooley of Calguns.org. “Kudos to the volunteers.”
“We were elated at the interest and response from the community.” said Art Leach, President of SLOSA. “We expected no more than 500 people to come out for the Expo and were overjoyed to reach over 1,500 guests before 2 o’clock”. One reason for the event’s high attendance is the SLOSA Range’s unique location, just a few hundred yards from scenic California Highway 1.
“This is the first event of this magnitude I’ve heard of ever happening” said Maddy Cooley, Resources Director at SLOSA and author of the Expo grant. “The Expo will forever change the way firearms are viewed by [California] Central Coast residents.”
Story tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC (“Colt”) announced that it will open a new firearms production facility in Kissimmee, Florida. Colt’s announcement did not discuss plant closures elsewhere, but we expect that some of Colt’s production (and jobs) will be moved from New England to Florida. Colt’s press release states: “The new 16,000-square foot facility will allow Colt’s Manufacturing Company to expand into new markets and business lines in parallel with the company’s existing 100,000-square-foot facility in Connecticut. Specific information on facility renovations and employee requirements will be determined over the course of the next several months.”
Colt Introduces New California-Compliant ARs
In related news, Colt has introduced a series of California-compliant AR15s. This is good for “black rifle” fans in the Golden State. Colt’s CA-legal ARs include: a 16″ barrel M4 Clone (LE6920CA) with adjustable stock; an Accurized rifle with 24″, 1:8″ twist heavy barrel (CR6724CA), and a “Patrol Rifle” that features Magpul furniture (6920CMP-B). All of Colt’s new California-compliant rifles are test-fired at the factory, and they all have mil-spec barrel, chamber, and bolt carrier group. In addition, Colt’s ARs receive special metal testing. Steve Comus, who reviewed Colt’s new ARs for Western Outdoor News, explains: “There is a magnetic particle inspection test done on all Colt rifles. After a rifle passes the MP (Magnetic Particle) test, MP is stamped on the bolt and barrel, as is C for Colt and MP on barrel. To pass, every single barrel and bolt goes through an over pressure test of 70,000 psi to make sure it can handle high pressure. Colt then takes rifle barrel and bolt and does a magnetic particle test on them. Barrels on mil spec barrels are chrome-lined. Accurized barrels are not chrome-lined.”
California maintains some of the toughest firearms laws in the country. In most California counties, it is virtually impossible to get a permit for concealed carry. Handguns are subject to long waiting periods, and many perfectly reliable handguns are banned from sale in California.
Each year the situation gets worse, with new laws enacted that further restrict the rights of Californians to defend themselves and their homes. Recently, the California State Senate approved AB 144, a bill that would dismantle Californian’s long-standing right of “open carry”. If AB 144 is signed by Governor Jerry Brown, this will make open carry a crime — even when camping or hiking.
What will happen to California gun owners if current trends continue? Will citizens of the Golden State be able to protect themselves in their own homes? Well this video answers those questions. The video is a dramatization, but it shows what could happen if California’s anti-gun legislators continue to hold sway. Watch the video to see a chilling preview of gun ownership in California.
From now on, California will require all new-model semi-automatic handguns to be manufactured with microstamping technology (aka “ballistic imprinting”). This requirement went into effect on May 17th, when the California Attorney General’s office declared that technical and patent barriers to the implementation of microstamping had been removed.
A number of extreme gun control measures are currently being pushed through the California Legislature. In California’s State Senate, the Committee on Public Safety considered some of the most restrictive pieces of gun legislation yet proposed in California. 
Author Profile: C.D. (Chuck) Michel is an attorney with 20 years of experience representing the National Rifle Association (NRA) and California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA), as well as firearm manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and gun owners, Michel has been litigating civil and criminal firearm cases since 1991, many of which were high profile and attracted state and national media attention.
Team GLOCK member K.C. Eusebio won the High Overall Award at the World Speed Shooting Championship (aka 
Tonight’s Episode of 
At the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships this past week, a young Californian tied a smallbore prone record. Matthew (Matt) Chezem won the Men’s 50m Prone Junior Title with 1290.4 points. Matt shot 590 on Day 1 and came back with 598 on Day 2. Matt’s 598 points tied a National Junior Record. That outstanding score placed him first going into the finals, with a one point lead over Spencer Upham from Washington. Chezem shot 102.4 points to Upham’s 102.5 points in the final, but Chezem’s lead was enough to secure the gold. Chezem, a student at Moorpark College in California, also coaches other junior shooters at the 
Imagine if your shooting club organized a public range day and 1500 people attended (including hundreds of first-time shooters). Now imagine that taking place in “gun-phobic” California. Well, believe it or not, this really happened when the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association (SLOSA) hosted its first annual 
At the SLOSA Expo, personal instruction, ammunition and loaner guns were provided at no cost to attendees — thanks to a grant from the 
California maintains some of the toughest firearms laws in the country. In most California counties, it is virtually impossible to get a permit for concealed carry. Handguns are subject to long waiting periods, and many perfectly reliable handguns are banned from sale in California.
