Gem State Wire

Boise, ID – Attorney General Raúl Labrador was joined by Attorneys General from 23 other states in challenging California’s “Unsafe Handgun Act.” The amicus brief supports the California Rifle & Pistol Association’s challenge to the California law aimed at limiting the sale and use of guns in California and nationwide.

Attorney General Labrador said, “California has used the pretext of ‘public safety’ to encroach upon the Second Amendment rights of not only its residents but also all citizens of the United States. Despite California’s relentless attempts to reinterpret the 2nd Amendment through its regulatory framework, the right to bear arms predates and transcends the political institutions seeking to undermine it. The State of Idaho is committed to safeguarding the constitutional rights of all Americans.”

The State of California aims to use the “Unsafe Handgun Act” to chill firearm commerce. California law requires new semiautomatic handguns to have three components: A chamber load indicator, a magazine disconnect mechanism, and microstamping capability so law enforcement can link spent shell casings to the guns from which they were fired. Currently, no new gun on the market meets all three of these requirements. In essence, California has created hurdles to stop the purchase of new firearms.

“California has attempted to work around the Constitution by essentially creating Second Amendment free zones. In most parts of the country, Americans can purchase commonly used weapons, but in California they cannot purchase new weapons because no gun meets these requirements,” Labrador said.

The brief can be accessed here. Other states joining the brief include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Original source can be found here.