California Senate Passes Comprehensive New Gun Control Legislation

By CATHERINE THORBECKE
May 19, 2016, 3:55 PM ET

The California State Senate passed a comprehensive series of new legislation aimed at curbing gun violence today, according to a press release from Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León.

The package of bills, which de León called "common sense," is now en route to the Assembly, who will vote on the bills as well. If approved, the package will then go to the governor.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

The package of bills the Senate voted on are aimed at tightening gun restrictions in the state that already has some of the strictest gun control in the country. One of the central aspects of the voting today was the issue of the "bullet button loophole."

"This loophole enables a firearm owner to use a bullet or other pointed object to quickly detach and replace a weapon’s ammunition magazine, converting a semi-automatic rifle into an assault weapon. An individual can switch magazines on a gun with a bullet button within seconds, making them especially deadly in a mass shooting situation," State Assemblymember David Chiu of California's 17th District explained in a press release.

Sen. Isadore Hall, III -- who co-authored Senate Bill 880, one of the bills voted on today -- said that the bill "closes the 'bullet button loophole' by redefining assault weapons to include military-style semi-automatic firearms with the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, requiring such weapons to be registered with the Department of Justice and prohibiting the future sale, purchase or possession of such weapons in California."

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]