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California Governor Jerry Brown may have vetoed a statewide ban on so-called assault rifles, but San Francisco officials have enacted a similar version of the bill locally – and the NRA is fighting back.
The city has a history of pushing the envelope on gun control. A total ban on handguns in 2005 was ultimately overturned by a state court in 2008. Smaller scale gun laws have been passed in the city since the court invalidated the handgun ban.
The new San Francisco high-capacity magazine ban was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors, making it illegal to sell guns with magazines with the ability to hold more than 10 rounds. The new San Francisco gun control law also requires that citizens who already own high-capacity magazines turn them in to the police department within 90 days.
The law, though, likely will have no impact on violence. As previously reported by Off The Grid News, an Indiana county sheriff recorded a now-viral YouTube video demonstrating just how quickly even a novice shooter could empty magazines of any size, reload and begin firing again.
Despite the constantly evolving California gun control laws, crime in the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, has increased, and FBI crime statistics show that homicides are at a two-decade high. After all, criminals, by their very nature, have no respect for gun laws.
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Supervisor Malia Cohen, who sponsored the law, said:
While not a panacea, this legislation provides law enforcement with more tools to continue to address gun violence and also continues to strengthen our city’s strong stance on gun regulation. Banning assault rifles only scratches the surface. We need to be better at addressing mental health concerns if we really want to solve the problem.
She went on to state that she hoped the new gun control law would “serve as a model” for other cities in her region.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has filed a suit against the law, saying it is unconstitutional. Larry Barsetti is one of the plaintiffs and a retired cop.
“All you’re doing is impacting honest law abiding citizens of San Francisco; the bad guys aren’t going to obey this law, they’re not supposed to be carrying guns in the first place,” Barsetti told a local ABC station.
The law firm that is filing the lawsuit on behalf of the NRA said:
Although the San Francisco ordinance describes the banned magazines as ‘large-capacity,’ magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds are standard for many common handguns and long guns. Millions of firearms that have been sold in the United States come from the manufacturer with magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
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