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AMMUNITION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Threat to California or Wild Goose Chase?
By
H. Paul Payne,
NRA Liaison to the Executive Vice President
January 12,
2009
In response to the huge number of
people that believe President-Elect Obama is currently trying to take their
firearms rights away by restricting ammunition purchases, several California
firearms owners have expressed confusion regarding this issue.
Recently, I have received more than
200 calls and emails regarding the so-called "Ammunition Accountability Act".
Almost all of these contacts came AFTER the 2007-2008 California legislative
session was over and BEFORE the 2009-2010 California legislative session began!
That means that this "threat" to California is FALSE on its face, since it could
NOT be real.
Please note that this current
hysteria began long before Mr. Obama was elected, AND, as of the date of this
article, Mr. Obama has not yet taken office, therefore has no Presidential
authority. Also of note is the fact that Mark Ridley-Thomas is NO LONGER in the
California State Senate and could not possibly have any of his previous
legislation active and/or pending after leaving office.
I respectfully request that as responsible firearms owners and NRA members, we
all take a good look at these kind of supposed threats to our freedoms (scare
tactics) and evaluate them on an individual basis.
The legislation in question is Senate Bill 997, the bill listed on the so-called
"Ammunition Accountability" web site at
http://www.ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm
and
http://www.ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation/2007/CA%20SB%20997.pdf.
SB997 was "gutted and amended" into some other kind of bill (emergency medical
services) before the end of the legislative session.
Although I haven't researched every
bill, in every state listed on their web site, I have thoroughly researched the
claims made regarding on-going legislation in California.
HERE IS THE INFORMATION REGARDING SB997 (from the so-called "Ammunition
Accountability" web site):
http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation/2007/CA%20SB%20997.pdf
BILL
NUMBER: SB 997 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 26, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 9, 2007
INTRODUCED BY Senator Ridley-Thomas
FEBRUARY 23, 2007
An act to amend Sections 12001, 12021.3, 12073,and 12078 of the Penal Code,
relating to firearms.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 997, as amended, Ridley-Thomas. Firearms.
Existing law generally defines firearms for regulatory purposes.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
Existing law generally regulates the transfer of firearms and provides
exceptions to various reporting requirements for certain law enforcement
entities and licensed firearms dealers. This bill would provide additional
exceptions to a procedure for the return of a firearm in the custody of a court
of law or enforcement agency, in the case of the return of a firearm to a law
enforcement agency, as specified. The bill would exempt from certain reporting
requirements, firearms transfers to certain government entities, under specified
circumstances.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.
<<< SNIP >>>= = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = =
HERE IS THE INFORMATION REGARDING SB997 (from the State of California):
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0951-1000/sb_997_bill_20080925_chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SB997 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
CHAPTER 275
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 25, 2008
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 25, 2008
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 19, 2008
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 13, 2008
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 8, 2008
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 19, 2008
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 28, 2008
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 26, 2007
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 9, 2007
INTRODUCED BY Senator Ridley-Thomas
FEBRUARY 23, 2007
An act to amend Sections 1797.82, 1799, and 1799.2 of the Health and Safety
Code, relating to emergency medical services.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 997, Ridley-Thomas. Emergency medical services: certification and licensure.
Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital
Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, provides for the certification of
emergency medical technicians through the issuance of certificates, including
EMT-I and EMT-II certificates, by local entities, known as local EMS agencies,
which are designated by counties. Under existing law, an Emergency Medical
Technician II or EMT-II is defined as an EMT-I with additional training in
limited advanced life support according to prescribed standards and who has a
validly issued certificate.
This bill would also define an EMT-I with the additional training in limited
advanced life support described above as an Advanced Emergency Medical
Technician or Advanced EMT.
<<< SNIP >>>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I'm sure you will notice that these are two very different versions of
"the same bill." In fact, SB997 WAS originally introduced as an
ammunition-related bill, but was amended into something totally different.
The California legislative information that the "Ammunition Accountability" web
site addresses is long out-of-date and inaccurate!
California's firearms owners have defeated Ammo Serialization several times in
the past. Senate Bill 997 is just one case. Another example is found at:
http://nramemberscouncils.com/legs.shtml?summary=sb357.1&year=2006
.
In my experience, I have learned that firearms owners and NRA members trust our
word when they are confident that we are not sending them on a "wild goose
chase" or "crying wolf" and wasting their time and effort using un-necessary
scare tactics. Our strength comes from the fact that we can mobilize our
membership when necessary, and if we lose the confidence of our members – we
lose our effectiveness.
With all of this in mind, I'm confident that, now the California legislature is
back in session, we will soon have plenty of real threats to our freedom to deal
with. We should be prepared for those REAL dangers.
===================
H. Paul Payne is
a NRA Benefactor Member and a CRPA Life Member and serves as the Program
Administrator for the NRA Members' Councils of California (www.CalNRA.com)
and has been active in the effort to restore, protect, and defend our Second
Amendment freedoms for more than twenty years – twelve of those years on staff
with the National Rifle Association.
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