For years now, lawful California gun owners have had very few choices when they go to purchase a new firearm. Such was the purpose of the Unsafe Handgun Act (UHA) and its draconian requirements that manufacturers needed to meet in order to have a firearm approved for sale in the state.
Our good friends at the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) challenged the law in a suit known as Boland v. Bonta, and earlier this year a judge granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the law and ruling that the state’s requirement of loaded chamber indicators, magazine disconnects, and microstamping were unconstitutional.
The state, naturally, appealed and the injunction is stayed pending the hearing of that appeal. Recently, 24 states weighed in supporting CRPA’s case, pointing up just how quickly such unconstitutional requirements could spread to other states, handing a big win to gun control advocates. 14 other states filed amicus briefs supporting the state, indicating their desire to be able to pass similar handgun bans in their states. Oral arguments are slated for July.
“Considering the split between the states, this has become an issue with national significance,” exhorted CRPA President & General Counsel Chuck Michel, who recently provided an update on the case that was featured on CRPA’s news channel.
2ALC has been supporting CRPA’s efforts through an amicus brief campaign to ensure that California’s war on “gun culture” doesn’t infect the rest of the country.