By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
A California state senator has introduced legislation to require Golden State gun owners to annually register their firearms.
According to an announcement from his office, Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) contends Senate Bill 1160 “will give the state better data and help us understand how many firearms are in private hands and who owns them.”
This annual registration carries a fee, and revenue from this program “would be deposited into a special fund for the purpose of carrying out the administration and enforcement of the firearm registry.” Further, the senator’s announcement said, “The bill would require the department to establish and maintain a system for the annual registration of firearms and make the registration information available to other law enforcement agencies.”
California gun owners have not forgotten that the California Department of Justice mistakenly posted the names and personal information of 192,000 gun owners on the internet two years ago in a privacy breach that left the agency with egg on its face. According to coverage at the time in The Guardian, that information was downloaded more than 2,700 times by more than 500 unique IP addresses over a 12-hour period in June 2022. All of those people had reportedly applied for concealed carry permits.
TGM reached out to Sen. Portantino’s office but there was no immediate response.
“This statue, which requires gun owners to register each firearm annually, is an important tool to remind all citizens of the civic responsibility that comes with owning a firearm. Indeed, the historic roots for this statue trace back to colonial America and serve as a reminder that with ownership comes responsibility,” stated Attorney Brian Hennigan and Loyola Law School Professor Laurie Levenson, who both suggested the bill idea to the Senator, according to Portantino’s news release.
A few lines later, the senator acknowledges having authored legislation concerning firearms storage and “gun purchase safeguards.”
“Most recently,” the release says, “he authored legislation aimed at preventing tragic school shootings and a major gun reform measure that offers a new tool to combat the rise in gun violence and save lives – a private right of action. Last year, he partnered with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta to enact SB 2, which implements significant improvements to strengthen California’s existing concealed-carry weapon (CCW) laws.”
The text of SB 1160 notes, “Existing law requires the sale or transfer of any firearm to be processed through a licensed firearms dealer. Existing law requires a licensed firearms dealer to record specified information regarding each firearm sale or transfer and to submit that information to the Department of Justice. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain keep and maintain this and other specified information relating to firearms within the state.”
