‘Gunpocalypse’: California Senate to Act on 10 Gun Control Bills

The California Senate pushed “gunpocalypse” by acting on ten control bills Thursday.

The bills include an outright ban on “the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles that have detachable magazines,” background checks for ammunition purchasers, and a statewide ban on magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.

According to the Los Angles Times, the massive body of gun control bills “were introduced after two terrorists killed 14 people attending a holiday event in San Bernardino.” In other words, after gun control proved impotent against determined attackers like Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the California Senate decided more gun control for law-abiding citizens was the solution.

There are questions as to whether lawmakers are pressing gun control now to undermine Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom’s gun control ballot initiative in November. If so, the reasoning behind that would be to remove any motivation that might serve to drive conservatives to the polls. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) would not comment on the motivation for pushing so hard at this time. Rather, he said, “The Senate has their process for doing that. Obviously the lieutenant governor is following his process as well.”

The Sacramento Bee reports that when Rendon was asked directly about whether Newsom’s ballot initiative would drive conservatives to the polls in November, he said, “As far as gun issues are concerned, our data shows that voters at the polls in November are more likely to reflect the views of (gun control advocates) then they are ardent gun owners.”