By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—Biden Administration &Ammunition: The Attorneys General of 20 states have written to the White House Office of Gun Violence to express their displeasure that ammunition from Lake City Arsenal has been sold to civilians; California: On Jan. 9, the Senate Public Safety Committee heard and passed a new storage requirement that has been added to a taxation bill, SB53; Kansas: Constitutional Amendment introduced; Maryland: Gov. Wes Moore appears to be concerned with juvenile crime, but he is attacking guns as well; Maine: LD1696, a bill designed to circumvent the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.(PLCAA) is being considered; Missouri: HB1708, removing the current law that prohibits carrying firearms on public transit, was the subject of a hearing; Nebraska: LB883, a repeal of the NE Permit to Purchase law has been introduced; New Hampshire: The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for two anti-gun bills: New Mexico: A new bill, without a bill number yet since the legislature has not convened, was introduced requiring a 14-day waiting period on lawful gun buyers; Pennsylvania: The legislature returns on Jan. 16 and the following day the House Judiciary Committee will vote on several anti-gun bills; South Carolina: H3594, Constitutional Carry, was passed by the House in the first session of this two-year session and is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. Gun owners should contact their state Senators and request that they vote YES on this bill; Virginia: The legislature convened on January 10 with several anti-gun bills being introduced; Washington: Both Judiciary Committees are considering more anti-Second Amendment bills
Biden Administration
On the stationery of NY Attorney General Letitia James a letter was signed by Attorneys General of 20 states (New York, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) asking the White House to ensure that the federal government “can and must do more to ensure that weapons made for our military do not take the lives of innocent civilians at home, and that our tax dollars do not subsidize crime and violence or otherwise perpetuate the epidemic of gun violence in America.”
Legislation and local communities
States that do NOT hold legislative sessions in 2024: Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas,
States that begin their sessions this month: Arizona, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
California: If you thought there were no more gun laws for California legislators to consider after SB2, you were wrong. On Jan. 9, the Senate Public Safety Committee heard a new storage requirement that has been added to a taxation bill, SB53.
The purpose of this bill is, beginning July 1, 2025, to prohibit a person from keeping or storing a firearm in a residence owned or controlled by that person unless the firearm is stored in a DOJ-approved locked box or safe. Additionally the bill punishes a violation of this prohibition as an infraction for the first offense and a misdemeanor for a second and subsequent offense, and subjects the violator to a 1-year ban on the purchase and possession of a firearm.
Since existing law requires that with every firearm sold it must be accompanied by a CA DOJ-approved safety device, this proposal just adds more cost and more government oversight into people’s lives. The bill passed the committee on a 4-1 vote and now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Florida: The legislature convened on January 9.
Kansas: Constitutional Amendment introduced; If the legislature passes the amendment it would then go to a vote in November 2024.
Maine: On the heels of the lobby day in the Capitol the Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary is holding a hearing on LD1696, a bill designed to circumvent the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.(PLCAA). This is an attack on not only the firearms manufacturers, but the lawful commerce in firearms in Maine.
Maryland: Gov. Wes Moore appears to be concerned with juvenile crime, but he is attacking guns as well. In his state of the state address he didn’t make concrete proposals but he said, “We need to get these illegal guns off our street, and we will.”
Missouri: HB1708, removing the current law that prohibits carrying firearms on public transit, was the subject of a hearing on Jan. 9.
Nebraska: LB883, a repeal of the NE Permit to Purchase law has been introduced. It has been referred to the Judiciary Committee.
New Hampshire: The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for two anti-gun bills: SB 571, requiring background checks for sale of firearms, which duplicates federal law, and SB 577, requiring a three-day waiting period in addition to the federal background check. No action was taken at this time
New Jersey: The legislature convened on Jan. 9.
New Mexico: A new bill, without a bill number yet since the legislature has not convened, was introduced requiring a 14-day waiting period on lawful gun buyers. The legislature convenes on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Another unnumbered bill has been introduced that is a carbon copy of the California statute that levied an 11 percent tax on the sale for firearms, firearms parts, suppressors and ammunition to be collected by the retailers selling these products.
Ohio: The legislature convened on Jan. 2.
Pennsylvania: The legislature returns on Jan. 16 and the following day the House Judiciary Committee will vote on several anti-gun bills. This committee passed two anti-Second Amendment bills last fall—HB941, which would hold gun owners liable if their firearms and ancillary property were stolen and then used improperly, and HB1629, mandating that gun owners keep all firearms in their homes under lock and key. The new bills under consideration are HB336, an ban on Simi-automatic firearms; HB483, creating a Gun Violence Task Force, HB777, a ban on making firearms, and HB1190, a ban on 3D printed firearms, which includes banning software.
South Carolina: H3594, Constitutional Carry, was passed by the House in the first session of this two-year session and is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. Gun owners should contact their state Senators and request that they vote YES on this bill.
South Dakota: The legislature convened on Jan. 9.
Tennessee: The legislature convened on Jan. 9.
Virginia: The legislature convened on Jan. 10 with several anti-gun bills being introduced. HB2 and SB2 bans commonly owned rifles and limits magazine capacity; HB318, allows government attorneys to bring public nuisance lawsuits against gun owners, manufacturers and dealers; and HB319, removes NRA training certifications from those that would be acceptable to the government for firearms training purposes.
Washington: The legislature convened on January 8 and already more anti-Second Amendment bills are scheduled for hearings. Jan. 15: A hearing before the Senate Law and Justice Committee on SB5444 expanding “sensitive places,” another euphemism for “gun-free zones.” Jan. 16: Another hearing before the Senate Law and Justice Committee on SB5985, codifying last year’s ban on so-called assault weapons. The committee is scheduled on Jan. 19 to hold an executive session and possibly vote on these bills. The House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee is also scheduled on Jan. 16 to consider HB1902, that would require a permit to purchase requiring live-fire training, and HB1903, requiring gun owners to report missing or stolen firearm within 24 hours. A possible vote on these bills could also take place on Jan. 19.
West Virginia: The legislature convened on Jan. 10
Wisconsin: SB466 and HB468, companion bills that have passed their committees could be voted in both Houses. These bills ban the use of merchant codes by banks and other payment entities. Similar bills have passed in several states already.
