Our Handguns Are Disappearing! – California’s Covert War on the Second Amendment
San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO) Executive Director Michael Schwartz and his wife Laura were in Wisconsin recently visiting family. While they were out of California visiting America they decided to check out some of the local gun shops. They were amazed at the variety of handguns available in America as opposed to what we see in California gun shops. That got me thinking about the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale maintained by the state of California.
For those of you that are not familiar with the roster let me explain. This list was enacted in 2001 as part of the state’s expansive safety requirements for handguns. The alleged intent was to require handgun manufacturers wishing to do business in California to show that their products were safe. This was accomplished by the manufacturer providing three test pieces along with a fee for each model they wished to sell in the state. If the model was accepted and added to the roster it could be sold in the state. The model could remain on the roster provided the manufacturer pays a fee each year.
The bad impact of this bad law was exacerbated by the implementation of the Unsafe Handgun Act (look for a future post on how the left makes up misleading nonsense names for bad laws). This law introduced the micro-stamping requirement that requires an individual ID code be micro-stamped on each handgun and that ID code be imprinted on each shell casing as the round is fired through the handgun. The technology doesn’t currently exist to accomplish this nevertheless we have the requirement. Look for a future post on the state of this law. In the mean time you can find information on the current status of the law here.
The desired negative impact of these laws is that we as law-abiding citizens of California have an ever-dwindling supply of handguns from which to choose (your right to keep and bear arms is being infringed). Take a look at the following numbers:
- Number of handgun models currently authorized for sale in California 767
- Number of handgun models removed from the roster in 2017 38
- Number of handgun models recently added to the roster 1
- Number of handgun models removed in the past five years 778
- Number of handgun models removed from the roster since 2001 1369
According to Calguns, of the 767 models on the roster, many are duplicate versions with just aesthetic differences between them so our choices are actually much fewer. I’d like to invite gun shop owners, collectors, and other knowledgeable people to offer their estimate of the number of handgun models available in the United States. My guess is the total number is significantly greater than 767.
Yesterday I looked through a gun magazine and as I saw a handgun ad I looked up that gun to see if it was on the roster. I found the following:
- Ruger American Pistol No
- Kimber K6 (in .357) Yes
- Kimber Micro 9 No
- FN America FN 509 No
- Walther PPS M2 No
- Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 No
- Canik TP9SFX No
- STI 2011 No
- Sig Sauer P320 No
Some manufacturers choose not to participate. If you choose to buy a Glock handgun in California, unless you are law enforcement, it will be a Gen 3 (a 20 year old design) In most of America, stores are stocked with Gen 4s and the Gen 5s will be out shortly (they’ll be out in America, not in California).
The effect this is having on gun shops is devastating and intentional. At the rate handguns are disappearing from the list its reasonable to believe that in five to ten years we may have as few as ten handgun models legal to sell in California.
Stores will have fewer handguns and rifles to sell making it increasingly difficult to stay in business effectively eroding our ability to exercise our second amendment rights. This is the intended impact of California’s left leaning anti-second amendment politicians.
What can you do? First spread the word. Share this post, educate yourself, and tell everyone that you can. Tell your shooting buddies; strike up conversations in gun shops and at the range. Let your state and local representatives know how you feel. These politicians do this in secret, under the radar and without the knowledge of the people. This is a covert war on the second amendment and they will win if we don’t care.
Finally I would encourage you to join SDCGO and help us fight for our rights. If you don’t have time to actively participate just your membership will help us work to change the current situation. In addition, consider joining CRPA and the NRA. Together we will win.
©2017 Joseph T Drammissi
This article and more of Joe’s work covering the Second Amendment as well as other topics can be found on Substack at https://getagrip.substack.com
There are 6 comments
First, thank you for taking the time to write and share this article. It is long overdue. While the information contained in the story is not new to me, I have been amazed at how little outrage has been expressed by us as individuals and by the various gun rights advocacy groups who appear to have chosen other issues to pursue through litigation. I am personally outraged by the State’s apparent “free pass” on the imposition of these ridiculous laws and administrative regulations which are clearly designed to eliminate private gun ownership in California. It is all part of the progressive agenda to control individual liberties which do not comport with their world view and we, as a free people, are the clear losers. This situation has left many individuals for this, and other reasons, with the decision of either “living with” this egregious infringement on our rights or moving to a so called “free state” where the exercise of our individual Constitutional rights and liberties are not impinged upon as they so clearly are here in California. I know that my day on this decision is coming sooner rather than later. I am a native Californian and resent being placed in the position of either “loving it or leaving it.” I am member of SDCGO Association and I appreciate all of the diligent and hard work the Association is doing on behalf of fully restoring our rights relative to private gun ownership. Thank you and please keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and for your support. I think most people would be outraged if they knew the extent of what was happening here. Unfortunately most gun owners are unaware of the details. The best thing all of us can do is spread the word and expose what these anti second amendment politicians are doing. There are more than enough gun owners in California to change this situation we just need to stop being complacent. Now is the time to for all of us to step up and get involved.
Again, I thank you for discussing this topic. So few even understand HOW restricted this really is.
You briefly touched on the fact that each cosmetic difference means it’s listed as a separate firearm, which also must supply 3 test copies and fees. So, if they want to offer the exact same firearm in blued steel and nickel, that’s double the costs for the manufacturer. Which is also why of the handguns available for sale in California, the SAME handguns outside the state are a lot less expensive. Which is also part of the plan, it makes it more cost prohibitive for people to legally exercise their rights. Then there are the exceptions for law enforcement & military. Which in many gun shops means there are two sections of handguns! Which adds even more confusion and frustration for a buyer. First handgun I bought was in Oceanside and they had a LONG cabinet with all manner of handguns, then asked if I was LEO or military, ‘no, oh, then you can only choose from these’… and brought me over to a small selection.
The microstamping requirement is ridiculous; it is a technology that is science fiction and it stops us in CA from getting the latest, greatest models of guns. In fact, when a gun manufacturer improves on a gun and does a new, safer, better version, why can’t we have it? Why do we have to have “old” models? It’s only a matter of time before the manufacturers decide that they are tired of all the hassle of building 20 year old designs to satisfy the whims of CA politicians. The lack of logic is so frustrating. And, yes, as gun owners we should be outraged. Most are. I definitely think this is something that SDCGO should focus on because it affects so many more gun owners than the CCW issue.
It has gone from bad, to worse, to unbearable. It is a great time to focus on this issue through education and political pressure.
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