The NRA has announced it will sue the state of California if Governor Jerry Brown (D) signs an across-the-board ban on semi-automatic rifles with fixed or detachable magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
The bill bans “an entire class of weapons that includes most ‘assault rifles.'”
According to Fox News, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) says the bill is “unconstitutional” and “would make unprecedented changes to California’s already unjust and Byzantine ‘assault weapon’ law.”
A statement from the NRA-ILA says, “Our right to keep and bear arms has never been as seriously threatened in California as it is today. After years of incrementally adopting gun control measures, this year the Legislature decided to propose new laws adopting everything on the gun ban lobby’s wish list.”
Gun Owners of California Executive Director Sam Paredes echoed this sentiment: “No question about it. The bill will make half of the rifles in existence ‘assault weapons,’ and make them illegal.”
Assault weapons in California are already highly regulated–they “can only be used for limited purposes and owners are prohibited from transferring them to anyone else in the state.” This bill would broaden the definition of an “assault weapon” and then ban each newly redefined weapon.
Gov. Brown has until October 13 to sign the bill.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.