Tighter gun legislation makes its way to Gov. Brown's desk

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTVU) - California’s democratic controlled legislature approved a dozen gun control bills on Thursday and sent a sweeping package of legislation to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.

California already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and these bills would make them even tougher. Both houses of the state legislature passed the measures with minimal debate.

“It is my hope that he’ll do the right thing and sign a good number of those measures,” Senate Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, (D Los Angeles) said.

The bills include the regulation of ammunition sales, a ban on high-capacity magazines, stricter rules on who gun owners can lend their firearms to, and added punishments for lost or stolen guns.

“We will not stop moving forward forcefully to make sure we protect our families, protect our children, and protect our community,” De Leon said.

Critics said the restrictions go too far and will have no impact on reducing violence or stopping terrorism.

“Just by making it more difficult they are going to create more victims,” Sam Paredes of Gun Owners of America said. “People who would be survivors are going to be turned into victims.”

“Over the last 20 some years all the bills passed have supposedly cut down on gun violence. Gun violence has gone up because it’s not about the guns, it’s about the individuals,” Senator Jim Nielsen (R Gerber) said.

The measures were first introduced following the San Bernardino attacks last year and come on the heels of the recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

Some democrats were hoping the passage of the bills would persuade Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom to withdraw his own gun control initiative from the November ballot before a midnight deadline Friday. Newsom has refused.

A spokesperson for Newsom’s camp said the bills are a step in the right direction, but do not cover all the aspects that Newsom’s initiative covers.

Governor Brown must sign the bills for them to become law. He has vetoed some gun legislation in the past.

Here is a recap of bills headed to his desk:

SB 1446: Bans the possession of high-capacity magazines with 10 rounds or more, even though high-capacity magazines are not sold in California. Anyone with such a magazine would be required to turn it over to the police or destroy it in one year.

SB 880 & AB 1135: Bans the sale of rifles equipped with “bullet buttons,” a small button activated with the tip of a bullet to easily discharge the magazine.

AB 1674: Restricts Californian’s ability to purchase no more than one firearm per month. Private sales and transfers of guns do not fall under this ball.

AB 1511: Restricts the loaning of firearms to parents, children, grandchildren, spouses and domestic partners for 30 days at a time through a licensed firearms dealer.

AB 857 & AB 1673:  Bills define disassembled gun parts as firearms and would require the purchaser of gun part to under a background check.

AB 2607: Allows for a broader definition of who can request a firearm restraining order to include co-workers who may see the warning signs of violence and have the opportunity to act.

AB 1694: The bill would make the false report of a stolen gun a misdemeanor. It would restrict the person making the false report from purchasing another gun for 10 years.

SB 894: Fines gun owners who fail to report their firearm stolen within five days of it going missing. The first fine is $100, the second fine is $1000, and the third offense is a misdemeanor with fines and potential for jail time.

AB 1176: Makes it a felony to steal a firearm worth $950 or less, seeks to close a so-called “loophole” in Proposition 47, which reduced the theft of items worth $950 or less from felonies to misdemeanors.

SB 1235: Requires ammunition sellers to obtain licenses. Purchasers of ammunition would be added to a state database for background checks.