On this day, the 30th anniversary of the Ruby Ridge incident in Idaho, I’d like to share some thoughts on California’s SB-918. But first, I’d like to share some info on Ruby Ridge.
Most of us know that the FBI and ATF descended on Randy Weaver’s rural homestead and killed his 14-year old son while he was hunting with his dog carrying a small, single-shot, small-bore sporting arm. They also killed the dog. What is not readily known is the legal excuse for the raid in the first place.
Randy, who was a green beret, had some Christian fundamentalist beliefs that not all would agree to. But, he served his country and studied our constitution. He became a survivalist and decided to raise his family in a different environment than most of us are used to. I can relate to his adherence to the Second Amendment and familiarity with arms. (I also owned arms, handloaded custom ammunition, and was certified with firearms by my local Sheriff before becoming a teenager.) He was approached by a friend (later identified as an FBI informant) and asked to cut the barrel of a shotgun. Randy cut it 1/8″ too short for ATF regulation, and that was the first of several non-violent infractions he was charged with.
There were problems with court correspondence – perhaps due to the remote location of residence or due to federal ulterior motive – and Randy missed a court date. That’s the bulk of it: barrel 1/8″ short and a “Failure to Appear.” That started the deadly raid on his humble domicile.
During the siege, Randy’s wife, Vicki, was shot and killed by an FBI sniper while she was unarmed and holding their infant daughter. There was no violent law broken and it resulted in the deaths of innocent women, children, and pets. Now let’s fast-forward to today in California.
SB-918: Amending Firearms Codes in California Will Criminalize More Gun-Owners
SB-918, written by activists with little to no experience or knowledge of firearms, is an authoritarian bureaucrat’s dream. While it attempts to strip conceal permit policy from local issuers by mandating universal statewide rules, it hits at the area of firearm usage that is somewhat protected by both left and right segments of the population: hunting.
While I disagree with the provision in SB-918 to “provide indicia of proof of licensure throughout the state” for conceal carry, I’m going to focus on the provisions that might land a duck hunter in prison. It restricts possession of ANY firearm (shotgun/pistol/rifle) while it is UNLOADED and in a case, while LOCKED IN YOUR TRUNK in the parking lot of an airport!
And it doesn’t stop there. You will be restricted from possessing a 22 long rifle, single shot youth rifle while unloaded and cased, locked in your trunk, in any common area or parking lot of ANY terminal for passenger travel (bus, train, taxi). So if I’m duck hunting in Mendota, then swing by the Greyhound terminal in Fresno to pick up one of my kids from out of town, I’ll be committing a felony if I park in the parking lot. To be legal, I’d first have to drive an extra hour to my hometown and lock the shotgun in my safe, drive the hour back to pick up my kid, then the hour home. Heaven forbid I missed a court date for any charge related to parking with a cased, unloaded shotgun locked in my trunk; they might kill my wife (also named Vicki) in retaliation.
I know it sounds like an unlikely scenario, but SB-918 is the ammunition needed for authoritarian activists to impose their will on you and I. This has passed the state senate, and has been ordered to a third reading in the Assembly. Please contact your state assemblymember and let them know you’ve had enough gutting of your rights.
I am Tom Nichols and I am running for California State Assembly, District 8, and If I were elected this would never pass without a brawl!
https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/