Governor Signs Feuer Gun Safety Legislation

The Governor has signed AB 809 by Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), which applies the reporting and record retention requirements currently in effect for handguns to long guns.  This important public safety measure will assist law enforcement by bringing much needed uniformity to the reporting and retention of firearms sales and transfer records.  The new law will take effect January 1, 2014.

“In signing this bill, the Governor has taken a critical step to improve public safety and provide law enforcement with an additional tool to solve crimes gun crimes,” said Feuer.  “This new law closes a loophole that’s been on the books for too long.”

Currently, law enforcement is required to destroy the records of long gun ownership within ten days of a purchase or transfer.  In contrast, hand gun records are retained by the California Department Justice (DOJ) and entered into the Automated Firearms System, which provides law enforcement an important instrument to solve crimes and protect our communities.

In his signing message, Governor Brown wrote of AB 809, “Since the state already retains handgun purchaser information, I see no reason why the state should not also retain information pertaining to the sale of long guns.”

Los Angeles Chief of Police Charlie Beck stated his support of Feuer’s authorship of AB 809: “I commend you for your initiative in authoring legislation that seeks to protect the safety of our communities and that of our officers.”

According to data collected by DOJ, long guns make up one-third of guns used in crimes.  The same data show that more than half the guns recovered from armed and prohibited persons are long guns.  During 2006-2008 (the most recent data available), 26,400 long guns were submitted for tracing from California to the Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agency.  Only 15% of these traces will help solve crimes, due to the lack of record retention.

More than 35 law enforcement leaders from throughout the state support AB 809 because of the far-reaching benefits of maintaining long gun records.  This bill would provide law enforcement additional tools to quickly identify the owners of crime guns, expose illegal trafficking channels, disarm dangerous felons, domestic abusers and mentally ill individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms, return stolen guns, be forewarned about the presence of guns at residences when responding to emergency calls, and better trace long guns that are illegally trafficked into Mexico and used in border crime and violence.  

The full text of the bill can be seen here.  The full text of the Governor’s signing message can be seen here. 

Assembly Member Feuer’s website:  http://www.assembly.ca.gov/feuer

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