New California gun control law restricts semi-automatic rifle purchases to one every 30 days

One of the broadest gun control measures signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this year will prevent Californians from buying more than one semi-automatic rifle per month, and raise the minimum age to purchase a high-powered rifle to 21.

The law, Senate Bill 61, builds on a previous restriction that prohibits Californians from buying more than one handgun within 30 days.

The limitation on buying semi-automatic rifles to once per month takes effect on July 1, 2021. The part of the law that raises the minimum age to 21 for semi-automatic rifle purchases takes effect Jan. 1.

California Senator Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, said in a written statement that SB 61 targets rifles such as the AR-15, which has been used in mass shootings from Newtown, Connecticut to Las Vegas and Pittsburgh.

“These particular violent weapons are not needed for hunting and have become increasingly the gun of choice for mass shootings,” Portantino said. “We felt very strongly that the hunter’s exemption needed to be removed for this weapon.”

His law also removed an exemption that allowed people under the age of 21 to buy a semi-automatic centerfire rifle if they have a valid hunting license.

Sen. Portantino said the usage of an AR-15 in the Poway synagogue shooting in April, in which one person was killed and three others were wounded on the last day of Passover, motivated him to advocate for the new law.

“Though that shooter did not have a valid hunting license at the time of his gun purchase, that horrible situation highlighted the need for immediate action,” Portantino said.

Christopher Lapinski, the manager of Last Stand Readiness & Tactical in Sacramento, said the new law probably won’t affect his business much.

“Typically people don’t buy more than one rifle at once,” Lapinski said. “So it’s more like death by a thousand cuts, it’s less that this will do anything specifically to hinder sales.”

He and other firearm owners questioned whether the gun control measure could prevent a mass shooting.

“This doesn’t really help anything. It’s kind of just a law to have a law, just to be there. I don’t see a point in it, and overall, this is just giving government a little bit more leeway for restriction. I’m not saying it’s a worse restriction, I just think it’s pointless,” said Sacramento State student Niko Guevara, 21, who has been shooting for a hobby for nearly 11 years.

In 2018, former Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a similar proposal, saying it would put burden citizens trying to get rid of firearms.

The Brady California United Against Gun Violence organization argued in a statement supporting the bill that the vast majority of long gun purchasers will not be impacted by SB 61.

Citing Department of Justice records of long gun purchases from January 2014 through June 2015, the Brady organization said that 81.9 percent of long guns were sold as a single long gun purchase within a 30-day period.

However, Brady California reported that Department of Justice statistics showed someone purchased 177 long guns in two transactions in April 2014. And sales to single individuals ranging from 5 to 54 long guns per month happened 1,787 times, totaling 12,090 guns.

This story is part of a collaborative project between McClatchy and seniors in the journalism program at Sacramento State University. For more information about the program, or to send a message, visit facebook.com/sacstatejournalism.

This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 12:00 AM.