Thus Spake Russ

Posted By Russ Emerson on May 13, 2003 at 6:41 pm

In my last post I enumerated a number of the reasons I left California. Here are four more, info courtesy of the California NRA Members Legislative Council:

AB (Assembly Bill) 50 (Koretz) – .50 Caliber Rifle Ban – would ban the sale/possession of rifles that are chambered for the .50 BMG cartridge and the sale/possession of .50BMG cartridges.

Oh, yes, I recall all those news stories of crimes perpetrated by .50-caliber rifle-wielding maniacs. After all, what self-respecting criminal would want to appear in public with a weapon that costs less than $3,000?

AB 992 (Ridley-Thomas) – Ammo Tax – Amended to direct revenues to a “Victim Reimbursement Fund”.

Since this would also put a tax on ammunition components (powder, primers, brass, bullets) this would spell the end of reloading and custom loading. And we all know what a lawless pack of felons the people who load their own ammunition are.

SB489 (Scott) – Semi-Auto Handgun bill – [requires] that all semiautomatic handguns, manufactured after a specific date – that are imported and sold in California, be equipped with a loaded chamber indicator and a magazine disconnect mechanism.

A “magazine disconnect mechanism”? I’m guessing they don’t mean the magazine ejection button already built into semiautomatic handguns?
This is so bloody typical – the legislators want a technology which doesn’t exist outside of Fantasyland to be made mandatory. I’ll bet they never actually consulted a firearms expert – except the ones thoughtfully provided by the Brady people.

SB 601 (Perata) – .50 Caliber Handgun Ban – would ban sale/possession of .50 caliber handguns. This bill is aimed specifically at the new S&W .500 Magnum cartridge but would also ban others.

Because we all know that criminals will buy and use the most expensive weapon available – profit margin be damned. No sense buying that cheap ratty .38 when you can spend 5 times as much for this, right?
Now, I don’t reload, and I don’t own or plan to own a .50 caliber rifle or handgun (blackpowder smokepoles excepted). But I sure am glad I left the Peoples’ Republic – half of my arsenal is already illegal there, and I don’t own anything bigger than .45ACP. Well, except for my muzzleloaders….

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