SACRAMENTO- Following an outpouring of opposition from California gun owners, the Assembly Appropriations Committee has pulled SB 249 from its hearing calendar. This bill would have expanded the number of weapons classified as an “assault weapon,” making many legally purchased guns illegal in California. Assemblyman Cook (R- Yucca Valley) joined with gun owners in opposing this piece of legislation as unconstitutional.

Currently, many firearms classified as assault weapons are illegal to own in California. The definition of an assault weapon has been created arbitrarily by the government. There are no manufacturing specifications for an assault weapon. Instead, the definition refers vaguely to a firearm with an ammunition feeding device that can be removed without disassembly of the firearm. SB 249 would have expanded that problematic definition to include weapons which have a detachable magazine that requires a tool to remove.

Said Cook, “If SB 249 had passed, it would have turned hundreds of Californians into criminals overnight just by owning weapons that fit this new description of an assault weapon. Although this bill appears to have been stopped, we need to remain vigilant against any attempts to bring back the measure during the final weeks of the legislative session. Gun owners can count on me to stand with them against any attempt by politicians to violate their Second Amendment rights.”

Assemblyman Paul Cook represents the Inland Empire, including portions of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.