March Report

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Assembly Bills ● AB 1589 - Chen (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1589/2025 ○ Analysis: This bill expands who has access to suppressors in Californiaby allowing those who are Level I reserve peace officers to use them in thecourse of their duties when authorized. A few examples of who would beable to use suppressors include persons who have been deputized by alocal police department, such as a reserve deputy sheriff, reserve citypolice officer, a reserve park ranger, and a reserve special agent for theDepartment of Justice (DOJ) amongst others. Expanding access tosuppressors to people who wish to volunteer and give back to theircommunities could potentially be a good way to destigmatize suppressors,allowing an inroad to show that suppressors in the hands of the people arenot dangerous and unusual, but can be useful tools to facilitate lawfulactions. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on March 3rd, 8Ayes, 0 Noes, 1 Absent. ● AB 1615 - Nguyen (D) - MONITOR ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1615/2025 ○ Analysis: Increasing the frequency of when a peace officer employed by acounty probation department has to complete Peace Officer Standards andTraining (POST) training qualifications with what is deemed to be an“unsafe handgun” appears to be downstream from the misconceivednotion that off-roster handguns are somehow more dangerous than thoseon the roster because of the lack of required features. Additionally, byimposing a state-mandated local program, this bill will cost the state moremoney to schedule even more qualification classes for said specified peaceofficers. We will be monitoring this bill in its current form as it goesthrough the legislative process. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on March 3rd, 9Ayes, 0 Noes. Pending the Assembly Appropriations Committee. ● AB 1701 - DeMaio (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1701/2025 ○ Analysis: School shootings are intolerable acts of evil, and should betreated as such. Cracking down on soft on crime policies by eliminating theoption for seeking recall after someone who is convicted of a schoolshooting and sentenced, no matter the age, sends a message. Being toughon crime to ensure the worst of the worst never walk the streets again isimperative to public safety. ○ Status: Failed in the Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing onMarch 10th, 2 Ayes, 5 Noes, 2 Absent. ● AB 1722 - Hadwick (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1722/2025 ○ Analysis: Originally a spot bill, AB 1722 has since been amended. Thisbill would prohibit the imposition of penalties for the violation of taking anendangered animal if proven that the individual was acting in self-defense,defense of their family, or any other individual from bodily harm. Nomatter where you go in the wilderness, certain wild animals still prey onhumans, regardless of their endangered status. Everyone should have theability to protect themselves and others from wild beasts without theapprehension of legal troubles, and this bill corrects that discrepancy. ○ Status: Pending the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. ● AB 1743 - Wicks (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1743/2025 ○ Analysis: This bill would authorize cities, counties, and universities togather more information about firearms from the Automated FirearmsSystem (AFS) for research purposes. Considering the left-leaning bias offirearms studies in California, we are skeptical at best that this would beused for impartial or good faith research instead of overtly partisanscrutiny. Furthermore, the thought of having more government agenciesand universities in possession of even more gun owners’ informationthrough the AFS should be met with suspicion, as there are also privacyconcerns with this bill. Leaking gun owners’ personal information is also aserious concern, especially since the DOJ previously had a data breachthat revealed sensitive information about CCW holders in similarcircumstances. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing on March10th, 7 Ayes, 1 No, 1 Absent. Pending the Assembly AppropriationsCommittee. ● AB 1753 - Stefani (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1753/2025 ○ Analysis: Expanding the scope of protective orders in relation torelinquishing firearms and ammunition should be met with scrutiny.California already has egregious red flag laws that erroneously disarmpeople during the prehearing of a trial. Creating more avenues forvindictive opportunists to disarm people around them is not gun safety, itis weaponizing the judiciary targeted at someone who might not deserve tobe disarmed, inverting due process and perverting justice. Conversely,even if someone is proven to be a danger to themselves or others,criminals do not follow the law, thus they will pay no mind to something astrivial to them as a protective order, and will find a way to access firearmsand ammunition through other means. ○ Status: Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing on April 7th at 8:30AM. ● AB 1810 - Berman (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1810/2025 ○ Analysis: From the author who brought us 3-in-30, this bill is anotheriteration of SB 15 from last year, but worse. In another targeted attack onfirearms dealers, this bill seeks to blame law-abiding, honest businessesfor the vex of criminal activity committed with a firearm. The bill wouldrequire the DOJ to conduct a yearly inspection of the ten firearm dealerlocations with the highest percentage of total sales of firearms that wererecovered by law enforcement and found to be illegally possessed, used ina crime, or suspected to have been used in a crime, and would be subject toyearly inspections instead of the usual three year inspection. On top ofthat, this bill would no longer have a fixed $115 maintenance fee for thecentralized firearms dealers list, pursuant to Penal Code Section 28450,but a “reasonable” fee that is subject to change yearly. The fee increasewould be no greater than 15% per year. If a firearm is stolen or usednefariously, why should a firearms dealer be at fault? Gun stores conductthe proper background checks through NICS and the DROS systems, andthe California DOJ clears people to possess firearms. Firearms dealers donot encourage criminal activity; if anything, they do everything they canunder the letter of the law to ensure prospective gun owners complete theprocess by the books. Attacking firearms dealers does not solve anyproblems, and increasing fees to make running a business like this asexpensive as possible only seeks to shut down the stores and furtherrestrict access to firearms. Gun bans or restrictions do not always come inthe form of legislation targeting specific hardware, it also comes in theform of atrocious bills such as this. ○ Status: Pending the Assembly Public Safety Committee. ● AB 1912 - Hadwick (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1912/2025 ○ Analysis: Allowing more opportunities to conceal carry, especially whilehunting for deer during archery season, helps expand the scope ofconcealed carry. The California Legislature had previously banned beingable to conceal carry while deer hunting with a bow, and this bill seeks toremedy this longstanding prohibition, which is an outlier law compared tothe rest of the states. Proponents of the initial ban stemmed from theunfounded notion that certain hunters would cheat while hunting byshooting the deer with a gun, then claim that they shot it with a bow andarrow. Since 1938, when the initial restrictions were put in place, there hasonly been one example of someone violating this law, so needless to say,this singular occurrence should not dictate the scope of carrying a firearmwhile deer hunting with a bow. Years ago, there were successful effortsfrom the CRPA and NRA with a petition that legalized carrying a firearmduring archery season while hunting big and small game. Striking theprohibition pertaining to deer hunting is one of the final building blocks tofully deregulate carrying while bow hunting. Archers should be able toprotect themselves in the most effective way possible in the wilderness.This bill has also received bipartisan support in the Assembly and Senate. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee onMarch 24th, 12 Ayes, 1 Absent. Assembly Public Safety Committee hearingon April 7th at 8:30 AM. ● AB 1943 - Gipson (D) - MONITOR ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1974/2025 ○ Analysis: Giving educational resources for families to learn about theconvoluted web of California gun laws, even if it may be a fraction of theplethora of statutes on the books, can help if used correctly. As we haveseen before, there have been legislative efforts to codify propaganda, someof which has already been signed into law, to be sent out to gun ownersthat contain very biased information meant to demean gun ownership todiscourage it altogether. The bill author has not indicated that creatingmore state-mandated propaganda is his goal, and that providing neutral,straightforward information is the main intent, but we will be keeping aneye on this bill as it goes through the legislative process. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Education Committee on March 18th, 8Ayes, 0 Noes. Pending the Assembly Appropriations Committee. ● AB 1948 - Ramos (D) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1948/2025 ○ Analysis: Coming off the heels of AB 1092 failing in the Assembly PublicSafety Committee in January, this new bill aims to expand conceal carryonce again. When first introduced, this bill would have changed thevalidity for newly issued CCWs to three years, and renewals would be validfor six years. Since being passed on the consent calendar in the AssemblyPublic Safety Committee, this bill was amended to remove the originallanguage, and the newest version of the bill makes CCWs valid for threeyears no matter if it is a new license or a renewal. Extending the validity ofCCWs incrementally is a step in the right direction to not make bearingarms such a tedious task in California. With understaffed sheriff’sdepartments, absurd application processing times from certainmunicipalities, and extraneous fees, this bill, even in its current form,could alleviate the workload for departments to allow new CCW licensesand renewals to be processed more efficiently and cost effectively.Moreover, this can set the stage for future bills to continue to increaseCCW validity to ensure California eventually catches up with the vastmajority of the other less restrictive states and those CCW standards. Inregard to concerns expressed by many pertaining to the “shall not exceed”portion of the penal code, that language already exists in current state law,and CCWs are continually valid for two years all across California, even inhostile counties such as Los Angeles County. Unexpectedly, this bill wasintroduced by Assemblymembers James Ramos and Avelino Valencia, twoDemocrats; a pro-gun bill from Democrats in California is quiteanomalous, but we are open to having Assemblymembers Ramos andValencia assist us in good faith to progress positive CCW legislation. TheCRPA Women Armed to Vote and Educate (WAVE) group made inroads atthe capitol earlier this year, and helped advocate for this issue. Since thisbill is a consent calendar item, it will likely be fast-tracked through thelegislative process. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on March 17th,then passed the Assembly Floor on March 26th, 71 Ayes, 0 Noes, 9 Absent;both consent calendar votes. Pending the Senate Rules Committee. ● AB 1974 - Stefani (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1974/2025 ○ Analysis: The vast majority of self-disarming programs wherein peoplerelinquish their firearms waste money and resources and do not contributeto a decline in crime. Police Departments do not have the capacity tocreate space for people to store firearms, and should not be treated as aglorified storage shed. ○ Status: Assembly Public Safety Committee hearing on April 7th at 8:30AM. ● AB 2207 - Hadwick (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB2207/2025 ○ Analysis: This bill does two things. It acts as a supplement to SB 1021,wherein hunting tags can be donated to nonprofit organizations todistribute them to children with life-threatening illnesses to make theirwish of going hunting a reality. In addition, this bill would also establish asystem for someone to transfer hunting tags to their child or grandchild.This bill aims to preserve the American tradition of hunting for theyounger generations, creating more opportunities to go hunting.Furthermore, in the event that an adult or legal guardian is unable to gohunting and use that tag, this bill would ensure that it can still be used bytheir child for that same hunt, giving the child an extra chance to learn andparticipate. ○ Status: Pending the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. ● AB 2584 - Flora (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB2584/2025 ○ Analysis: This bill started as a repeat of AB 1488 from last year, entitledthe Preemptive Self Defense Act of 2026, which previously helped protectpeople from liability who use lawful resistance to fend off an assailant inself-defense, and prohibits one’s background, training, or fighting skillsfrom being taken into account when determining reasonable force. Thisbill has been amended since passing the Assembly Public SafetyCommittee, and now specifies that there shall be no civil liability on thepart of, and no cause of action shall accrue against, a person who lawfullyresists a public offense. Although the intent of the bill has changed, thisversion of the bill can still bolster self-defense by protecting lawfulindividuals who resist a public offense. ○ Status: Passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee on March 24th, 8Ayes, 1 Absent. Read second time and amended. Assembly JudiciaryCommittee on April 14th. ● AB 2720 - Schiavo (D) ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB2720/2025 ○ Analysis: No longer a spot bill. The bill author decided to gut and amendand pivot to a different subject, as this bill would now require lawenforcement agencies with 25 or more peace officers to have a designatedhuman trafficking victim support coordinator by January 1st 2028. Wehave still included the bill text linked above for those who are interested inthis topic. ○ Status: Pending the Assembly Public Safety Committee. ● AB 2761 - Petrie-Norris (D) ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB2761/2025 ○ Analysis: No longer a spot bill. The bill author has decided to gut andamend and pivot to a different subject for this bill, as it now pertains tovehicles and crash data. We have still included the bill text linked abovefor those who are interested in this topic. ○ Status: Pending the Assembly Transportation Committee.Senate Bills ● SB 931 - Laird (D) ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB931/2025 ○ Analysis: No longer a spot bill. The bill author has decided to gut andamend and pivot to a different subject for this bill, as it now pertains to theDiablo Canyon nuclear power plant. We have included the bill text linkedabove for those who are interested in this topic. ○ Status: Pending the Senate Rules Committee. ● SB 948 - Arreguín (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB948/2025 ○ Analysis: The idea for this bill was already defeated last year in the formof AB 1187, and is now being tried again in the Senate by the same Senatorwho introduced SB 704, the barrel background checks bill from last year.If signed into law, this bill would place another monetary and timeconsuming roadblock in the way for people to access firearms; requiringeight hours of mandatory state-approved training is absurd, and itcertainly will not be cheap. Shooting ranges do not have the capacity tohost a myriad of training courses, which will result in delaying law-abidingpeople from acquiring arms in a reasonable manner. The governmentdictating the manner in which the people can exercise their rights throughoverbearing licensing schemes is, and always will be, an egregiousoverreach and meaningfully constrains the right to keep and bear arms.Similar to other gun control measures, this bill would also create astate-mandated local program, which will cost the state extra money tooperate. Additionally, the funds for this new program would come fromthe Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) account upon appropriation from theLegislature. We believe this could potentially open the door for the DOJ toincrease the total DROS fees if the Department wishes to accrue moremoney for the DROS account, causing all background check fees toincrease. We are hopeful that this bill, just like AB 1187, will be defeated inthe Appropriations Committee. ○ Status: Passed the Senate Public Safety Committee, 5 Ayes, 1 No. Pendingthe Senate Appropriations Committee. ● SB 1021 - Choi (R) - SUPPORT ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1021/2025 ○ Analysis: This is a CRPA backed bill. Expanding opportunities forhunting and fishing has always been a part of our mission at CRPA, and weare excited to be giving back to youth who are bravely battlinglife-threatening illnesses and have lost a family member in service to thiscountry. The Fish and Game Commission would be tasked with creating aprogram to increase hunting and fishing opportunities for said youth. Thisbill has also received bipartisan support in the Senate and Assembly. ○ Status: Passed the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committeehearing on March 24th unanimously. ● SB 1220 - Hurtado (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1220/2025 ○ Analysis: Adding a new 10-year prohibitive misdemeanor for those whoalter external or cosmetic features that is not the serial number of the gunis frivolous, and only adds more word soup to the already messy penalcode pertaining to prohibitive misdemeanors. We believe that this couldopen the door for criminalizing any alterations a gun owner makes to theirfirearm, potentially killing aftermarket support for those who like tocustomize firearms. Additionally, for those who receive an older firearmwith damaged markings that might be hard to read due to its condition,throwing the book at collectors will discourage the historical preservationof certain firearms. Intentionally filing off the serial number is one thing,but slightly changing the appearance of a gun in other ways, or receiving afirearm in bad condition should not be grounds for such a harsh penalty. ○ Status: Pending the Senate Public Safety Committee. ● SB 1232 - Alvarado-Gil (R) - MONITOR ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1232/2025 ○ Analysis: This appears to be a spot bill setting the stage for SenatorAlvarado-Gil to repeat the mountain lion bill she proposed last year. Wewill monitor this bill to see if that comes to fruition. ○ Status: Pending the Senate Rules Committee. ● SB 1305 - Richardson (D) - OPPOSE ○ Bill Text: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB1305/2025 ○ Analysis: While the grizzly bear is an iconic symbol of California, statewildlife management resources that already monitor mountain lions, blackbears, and wolves, are stretched too thin and inadequate to handlereintroducing another apex predator. Too many bears can endangercertain communities, hunters, and other outdoors enthusiasts, especiallysince California is much more populated than it was when the grizzly bearwent extinct in the state many years ago. If grizzly bears started to comeback to California naturally, this would be a different conversation.However, creating an artificial roadmap for reintroduction raises manyconcerns for public safety and wildlife management. ○ Status: Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee hearing on April7th at 1:30 PM.