Portantino Handgun Registration Bill Passes Senate Public Safety Committee
For Immediate Release: April 23, 2024
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Portantino Handgun Registration Bill Passes Senate Public Safety Committee
Sacramento, CA – SB 1160, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) passed the Senate Public Safety Committee today. The measure aims to increase public safety by holding accountable individuals who illegally carry unregistered handguns in California. SB 1160 expands on AB 144, a bill Senator Portantino authored in 2011 in the State Assembly.
“SB 1160 imposes higher penalties for those who illegally carry unregistered handguns and engage in criminal acts. It is consistent with current legislation enhancing registration requirements and compliance,” stated Senator Portantino. “This is another important step towards responsible gun ownership and increasing accountability.”
Under current California law, there is no explicit requirement that the possessor of a handgun must be listed with the Department of Justice as the owner of that handgun. Several decades of case law have demonstrated a history and support of documentation for owning a firearm through a ministerial registration system.
District of Columbia v. Heller upheld ministerial registration systems in several cases and Justice v. Town of Cicero further found registration “merely regulated gun possession” rather than prohibiting it.
SB 1160 would extend the increased punishment for openly carrying a handgun to also apply if an individual in immediate possession of a handgun is not the same individual listed with the Department of Justice as the owner of the handgun. The bill would apply a similar system to handguns in conduct-based offenses where an individual is found to be carrying a handgun illegally.
Senator Portantino has long been a champion of common-sense gun reform policies. During his time in the Assembly, he successfully authorized local governments to prohibit the open carry of handguns and rifles in certain areas and as Senator, he raised the firearm purchase age in California to twenty-one. The Senator has authored legislation related to firearms storage and gun purchase safeguards, as well as a legislation that reduces the number of firearms an unlicensed individual is annually able to sell and the frequency with which they are able to sell. Most recently, he authored legislation aimed at preventing tragic school shootings and a major gun reform measure that offers a new tool to combat the rise in gun violence and save lives – a private right of action. Last year, he partnered with Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta to enact SB 2, which implements significant improvements to strengthen California’s existing concealed-carry weapon (CCW) laws.
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