Staff Reports
By a vote of two to one, the California legislature turned down Senate Bill 918 on Thursday. This bill would have made it harder for people to carry guns in courts, hospitals, airports, on public transportation, and other "sensitive" places.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen that New York's law requiring proof of a need for self-defense in order to carry a weapon was unconstitutional. This made California's "good cause" requirement invalid. After Bruen, some anti-gun lobbyists in California saw an opening that would still let the state ban "concealed carry" in "sensitive" areas.
The California bill failed in the Assembly on Tuesday, but it was brought back up for a vote through a process called "reconsideration." In the end, the bill did not pass in the Assembly on Thursday. It was only two votes short of the 2/3 supermajority that was needed for it to pass.
We did it. SB 918 is dead! Our job is done. Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislatures asking them to vote no. Our efforts are just beginning. We need your support for all of the lawsuits in our future. No Compromise !
— Gun Owners of CA (@GunOwnersCA) September 1, 2022
According to a story from the Los Angeles Times, California Attorney General Rob Bonta spent the day rallying support for the bill from moderate Democrats inside the state Capitol. Anthony Portantino, a Democrat and state senator, added a clause to the bill that said it could go into effect as soon as it was passed.
According to the LA Times, Portantino said, "I'm really surprised it didn't pass."
Portantino promised to bring the bill back in December for the legislative session of 2023-2024.
The gun rights group Gun Owners of California said in a statement Thursday, “Thank you to each and every one of you that took the time to contact your legislators about SB 918.”
“With California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta physically on the Floor of the Assembly twisting arms for a vote to make the entire state a CCW prohibited area, SB 918 still failed to secure the votes necessary for passage. THIS IS INCREDIBLE NEWS,” the group continued in the statement.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on DAILY CALLER.
