Berkeley Lawmaker's Gun Control Bill Heads To Gov. Brown's Desk
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- A bill authored by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, that would ban kits that convert guns into assault-type weapons was approved in a state Assembly concurrence vote Wednesday and has been sent to Gov. Jerry Brown.
Assembly Bill 48, which passed by a vote of 43-30, also would make it illegal to buy large-capacity magazines that allow people to fire multiple bullets quickly without reloading.
Skinner said assault weapons are banned under California law but people can get around that by buying a conversion kit that allows them to take a gun cartridge out and put in a high-capacity magazine that turns a gun into an assault-style weapon.
She said those type of weapons were used in mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and Tucson, Ariz., in recent years.
Skinner said in a statement, "Large capacity magazines have no place on our streets. We have some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation but California's laws are easily undermined by these blatant loopholes."
AB 48 is the third gun control measure authored or co-authored by Skinner to be sent to Brown for his signature. He has until Oct. 13 to sign all three measures.
On Tuesday, an Assembly concurrence vote approved AB 1131, which would extend the time period a person who makes a credible threat of violence is prohibited from owning firearms from six months to five years.
Skinner said at a news conference in Oakland on Monday that she thinks such a ban would prevent tragedies such as the shooting at Oikos University in Oakland in April 2011 in which suspect One Goh is charged with seven counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder for allegedly killing seven people and wounding three others.
A judge suspended legal proceedings against Goh in January and said he's not competent to stand trial after two psychiatrists said he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
Last Friday, legislators approved AB 180, which was co-authored by Skinner and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, which would pre-empt state law and provide Oakland with additional tools to more strictly regulate the registration and licensing of firearms.
Skinner's spokeswoman, Tracy Morales, said today that Brown, who formerly served as Oakland's mayor, hasn't indicated whether he will sign the gun control bills.
"It's wait and see," Morales said.
A spokesperson for Brown wasn't immediately available for comment Wednesday.
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