Posted on 05/03/2013 5:27:10 AM PDT by Altariel
In a state facing over $34 billion in debt, Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill spending $24 million on literally going after guns bought legally by people who later entered a status that the government thinks should bar them from a key tool for the basic human right of self-defense.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
The state will send dozens of new agents into California neighborhoods this summer to confiscate nearly 40,000 handguns and assault rifles from people barred by law from owning firearms, officials said Wednesday.
The plan received the green light Wednesday, when Gov.Jerry Brown signed legislation providing $24 million to clear the backlog of weapons known to be in the hands of about 20,000 people who acquired them legally. They were later disqualified because of criminal convictions, restraining orders or serious mental illness.....
"This bipartisan bill makes our communities safer by giving law enforcement the resources they need to get guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous individuals," said Evan Westrup, a spokesman for the governor.
"Potentially dangerous." We are now confiscating property and denying core constitutional rights based on potential.
And why is it that gun owners shouldn't care about gun registries, again?
California is the only state in the nation to operate a database that cross-references gun owners with those who are subsequently disqualified from owning firearms. But budget cuts have prevented the state Department of Justice from keeping up with the list, which grows by 15 to 20 names every day, officials said.
The new funds will allow the department to hire 36 additional special agents and support staff, with the first officers expected to hit the streets in July....
The new agents will work primarily in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and Riverside, which have requested additional help, Gledhill said. The effort is expected to take three years.
"Our reinvestment in this tracking program gives us the opportunity to confiscate" guns from those who should not have them, said state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), author of the legislation.
Never let the "opportunity to confiscate" fade, Senator! Already existing programs for this purpose "investigated nearly 4,000 people and seized about that same number of weapons, including 300 assault weapons, during the last two years, officials said."
It needs to be said often: even these "common sense" measures overwhelmingly violate the rights of those who would never, ever use their weapons to harm anyone far more than they contribute to public safety.
“Citizen- you have impure thoughts. You must surrender your weapons, or die”
They are probably going to need some serious life insurance and hazard pay to go for direct confiscation.
Just one more reason why I would never consider moving back to CA.
it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
They vote in democrats to office and wonder why:
They have the highest taxes in America
Have no jobs
Are overrun by illegals
And have their guns taken away
The problem is two-pronged: Republicans and Democrats.
Pretend the hydra only has one head, and you will be stunned when the other one devours you.
someone should take out restraining orders on all state officials, their body guards, and the officers involved in this confiscation scheme.
I bet sometime soon the SWAT team will get a tip to a certain person or location but instead it will become a killzone.
There are more than the usual loons in California, and when they even remotely think they will be attacked will instead go on the offensive.
They will actually plan on how best to get as many gun grabbers in a select location. I have a bad feeling for anyone unfortunate enough to have been ordered to go out to confiscate guns, there may be a lot of heartbroken families soon.
This is a monumental fool's errand. Many of these 20,000 people have moved, changed their names, died, are institutionalized or homeless. Many have sold, given away or lost the original weapons. Many will hide the guns at their mother-in-law’s house or sell them when they hear of Moonbeam's gun-grab. And a small percentage of genuine psychos may just ambush the agents on the doorstep.
Please note there is no provision for the gov’t to contact these individuals to either turn in there weapons, or dispute the status assigned to them.
It’s simply sending gov’t goons to the door step.
Just dwell on this guy's comment for a minute.
Government authoritarianism cloaked in "public safety". And just who defined those who are "potentially dangerous"? And how soon until that definition is expanded to whatever vagaries the Leftists decide?
It is the Leftists, who have sworn allegiance to fascism, who are a grave danger to America.
Just as Beck said yesterday “Just WHO is it they deem dangerous?”
Yeah, I can just see them swooping through east LA now confiscating guns from the various gang members. How many agents are they hiring, something like 30? They would need 30 regiments many of them armored to go. I would not ever wish to be holding any stock in a life insurance company which has polices with them.
No, I would expect them to fan out in the suburbs seizing firearms from domestic dispute matters where in some enterprising divorce attorney suggested their client file a restraining order on a spouse to get leverage in a divorce matter.
yea, but the problem is the nuts are leaving the plantation and coming to my state!
I was recently chastised here for not considering California to be a part of America.
If this isn’t un-American, I don’t know what is.
Of course, the good news of the day? California’s burning!
Bipartisan-—Republicans are as willing to trample on your rights (for the right cause) as Democrats.
This will not end well.
While there may be some agents shot at homes as they attempt to confiscate a gun, the more likely scenario is that action is taken against the confiscating conspirators at their homes, places of business, or work, or on errands.
They are really asking for it. I'm glad I'm not in Kali.
What is ALWAYS the first step to government tyranny? ALWAYS?
but the news media uses this fluke, this statistically nonexistent event to grow government and take away our rights
40,000 Americans die in car accidents each year
less than 50 die in mass shooting per year
driving is not a crisis neither are insane mass shooters. the media/democrats invent crisis to take away our freedom and liberties and rights. democrats are pure evil and they don't realize that they are individuals too and their whole goal is to empower government (statism/socialism) which will cause a decrease in freedom and rights
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.