SB 452 – VETO

September 20, 2023

The Honorable Gavin Newsom State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: SB 452| Microstamping | REQUEST FOR VETO

Dear Governor Newsom:

Gun Owners of California is writing to respectfully request your veto of SB 452, which would prohibit a licensed firearms dealer from selling, offering for sale (or exchanging, giving, transferring, or delivering) a semiautomatic pistol unless it has been verified as microstamping-enabled.

As with similar iterations of this bill, GOC has been in opposition because we believe the underlying statute pertaining to microstamping is fatally flawed. Fundamentally, microstamping technology has proven to be unreliable. It is easily defeated by simply exchanging the firing pin or defacing the tip of the firing pin with a simple household item, such as an emery board. Further, it’s worth noting that no manufacturers have chosen to utilize such technology, given a variety of legal reasons not to mention both physical and logistical challenges.

The original purpose of establishing the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale was to ensure that the firearms were safe. Since all guns initially suspected of being “unsafe” (so-called Saturday Night Specials) passed stringent testing requirements, the purpose of the Roster was modified. Thus, the issue of safety was discarded and replaced by arbitrary requirements (loaded chamber indicators, magazine disconnects, and microstamping) that had nothing to do with the safe operation of the firearm. Unfortunately, this became more of a political issue rather than one of protecting the public from a dangerous weapon.

This is yet another wrong-headed and futile approach to solving the problem of criminal firearm misuse. The safety of Californians is at the very foundation of GOC’s mission, and it has been our consistent goal to work toward common sense solutions regarding the issue of crime and firearm ownership; this can be done, however, without sacrificing our Constitutional rights and the ability of the law abiding to protect their families.

 

Respectfully,

Sam Paredes, Executive Director

GUN OWNERS OF CALIFORNIA
1190 Suncast Lane, Suite 2, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 – (916) 984-1400 (916) 984-1402 fax
    www.GunOwnersCA.com
A Political Committee Dedicated to Crime Control – Not Gun Control