California Gov. Brown Signs New Gun Control Law

Under a new law signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown of California on July 22, Californians who build their own guns will be required to apply for a state-issued serial number.

Currently, guns made from individual components are not restricted or kept track of in the same way that manufactured firearms are, but Assembly Bill 857 requires anyone who buys firearm parts that can be built into a fully-functional gun is required to apply for a serial number before building it, notes the Los Angeles Times. This measure passed through the state congress in June as part of a larger package of laws to tighten restrictions on gun use and ownership. Brown signed several of those bills, including an ammunition restriction, shortly after they passed.

The production of homemade guns has increased lately, due to rapidly advancing three-dimensional printing technology, notes the Sacramento Bee. As the technology becomes more and more accessible, functional plastic or metal firearms could become more and more accessible.

Gun-rights organizations like the National Rifle Association and other opponents of the bill said that it would infringe on the constitutional right for individuals to assemble their own firearms and objected to the hundreds of thousands of dollars required annually to enforce it.

“Today’s action by Governor Brown shows how craven California’s despotic ruling class has become,” Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs said in a statement. “The Legislature has abandoned the Constitution, representative government, and the People of California. I fully expect the People to respond in kind.”

Barry Bahrami, a businessman from San Diego, California, is currently leading the effort to overturn six of those laws via a statewide ballot referendum, according to the Times.

“They have an agenda to pass laws that are downright dangerous to public safety and nullifies our constitutional rights,” Bahrami said of the state House. “Today it is feel-good gun laws, but what will it be tomorrow?  The people of California deserve representatives who will not ditch their own integrity in order to push an agenda.”

Sources: Los Angeles Times (2), Sacramento Bee / Photo Credit: Neon Tommy/Flickr