{"id":560,"date":"2017-12-01T16:47:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T16:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/2017\/12\/01\/california-sued-over-new-awb-regulations\/"},"modified":"2019-08-16T18:28:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-16T18:28:21","slug":"california-sued-over-new-awb-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/?p=560","title":{"rendered":"California Sued Over New AWB Regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:7260,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.firearmsfoundation.org&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:7977,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.calgunsfoundation.org&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260418022109\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.calgunsfoundation.org\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:5086,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.saf.org&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:7978,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net\\\/firearmspolicycoalition\\\/pages\\\/3646\\\/attachments\\\/original\\\/1512070807\\\/2017-11-30-Holt-v-Becerra-complaint-petition.pdf?1512070807&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260418022110\\\/https:\\\/\\\/d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net\\\/firearmspolicycoalition\\\/pages\\\/3646\\\/attachments\\\/original\\\/1512070807\\\/2017-11-30-Holt-v-Becerra-complaint-petition.pdf?1512070807&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:7979,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/bit.ly\\\/holt-v-becerra.&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.firearmspolicy.org\\\/holt_v_california_attorney_general_xavier_becerra&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<p>\nA coalition of gun rights organizations plus three individual plaintiffs have sued California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the California Department of Justice over newly adopted regulations concerning the assault weapons ban on bullet buttons. The suit was filed in California Superior Court for the County of Riverside.<\/p>\n<p>The CalGuns Foundation has this summary of the case:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tr_bq\">\n<div style=\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica-Regular; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<span style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">Summary:<\/span><em style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">&nbsp;Holt, et al. v. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra&nbsp;<\/em>is a&nbsp;constitutional, statutory, and Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenge to the DOJ&#8217;s &#8220;bullet-button assault weapon&#8221; regulations.&nbsp;The DOJ\u2019s regulations expose people to criminal liability that would not otherwise exist under the actual laws regulating firearms in California.<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica-Regular; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<span style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">Individual Plaintiffs\/Petitioners:<\/span>&nbsp;George Holt, Irvin Hoff, Michael Louie, and Rick Russell are all law-abiding, tax-paying residents of California who lawfully own firearms potentially subject to the DOJ\u2019s illegal regulatory scheme.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica-Regular; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<span style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">Institutional Plaintiffs\/Petitioners:<\/span>&nbsp;Firearms Policy Coalition;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firearmsfoundation.org\/\" style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #223744; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Firearms Policy Foundation<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.calgunsfoundation.org\/\" style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #223744; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Calguns Foundation<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saf.org\/\" style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #223744; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Second Amendment Foundation<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica-Regular; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<span style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">Defendants:<\/span>&nbsp;Xavier Becerra,&nbsp;Attorney General of California; Stephen J. Lindley, Chief of the&nbsp;Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms;&nbsp;the California Department of&nbsp;Justice; Debra N. Cornez, Director&nbsp;of the Office&nbsp;of Administrative Law; Betty T. Yee, California&nbsp;State Controller; Does 1-50,<\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica-Regular; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">\n<span style=\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\">Litigation Counsel:<\/span>&nbsp;George M. Lee;&nbsp;Douglas A. Applegate; Raymond M. DiGuiseppe<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The complaint can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net\/firearmspolicycoalition\/pages\/3646\/attachments\/original\/1512070807\/2017-11-30-Holt-v-Becerra-complaint-petition.pdf?1512070807\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The institutional plaintiffs &#8211; SAF, CalGuns Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Firearms Policy Foundation &#8211; released a joint statement on the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tr_bq\"><p>\n<i>Gun Owners &amp; Civil Rights Groups File Legal Challenge to California\u2019s \u201cAssault Weapon\u201d Regulations<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit argues that the State\u2019s \u201cbullet-button assault weapon\u201d regulations are largely unlawful, should have been subject to the Administrative Procedure Act process, waste taxpayer dollars, and should not be allowed to stand.<\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>SACRAMENTO, CA (November 30, 2017) \u2014 Today, attorneys for four individual gun owners as well as advocacy organizations The Calguns Foundation (CGF), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), and Firearms Policy Foundation (FPF) filed a new lawsuit and petition for writ of mandate that challenges more than a dozen new \u201cassault weapon\u201d regulations ramrodded into effect by the State of California\u2019s Department of Justice (DOJ).<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Named as defendants are California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Chief of the DOJ Bureau of Firearms Stephen Lindley, the California Department of Justice itself, Director of the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) Debra Cornez, and State Controller Betty Yee.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs\u2019 attorney George M. Lee said that the lawsuit was focused on protecting law-abiding people from illegal regulatory and enforcement actions.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy making and enforcing unlawful rules, and going around the rules to do it, the DOJ is putting tens if not hundreds of thousands of law-abiding people at risk of serious criminal liability,\u201d said Lee. \u201cThis case seeks to make the DOJ follow the same laws they impose on others and protect law-abiding gun owners in the process.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe DOJ is acting like an out-of-control bullet train that\u2019s running off the rails,\u201d said plaintiffs\u2019 attorney and former Deputy Attorney General Raymond DiGuiseppe. \u201cOur plaintiffs want to get the State\u2019s agencies back on the tracks and following the law.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>CGF Chairman Gene Hoffman notes, \u201cThe DOJ has used every trick in the book to avoid good faith rulemaking action, and we cannot allow that to go unchallenged. California laws are bad enough without piling on unlawful and harmful regulations, so we seek here to restore the rule of law\u2014and some sanity.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe government agencies responsible for enforcing the law must also follow the law,\u201d SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said. \u201cThis case is an important step in protecting law-abiding gun owners from an out-of-control regulatory state.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe DOJ is playing a dangerous game with the law, and it needs to stop,\u201d observed FPF Vice President Jonathan Jensen. \u201cTens of thousands of people could face potential felonies in just a handful of months, and meanwhile the DOJ has moved the goalposts with the registration clock ticking.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe State of California is nothing short of bipolar with its gun control policies,\u201d commented FPC President Brandon Combs. \u201cOn one hand, the State is requiring people to register virtually all of their guns. On the other hand, the DOJ is doing everything it can to suppress compliance and prevent people from registering their guns.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>A copy of the complaint and petition for writ of mandate can be viewed or downloaded at <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/holt-v-becerra.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/holt-v-becerra.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>CASE BACKGROUND:<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Last July, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a number of new gun control bills into law, including two (SB 880, Hall; AB 1135, Levine) expanding the State\u2019s ban on so-called \u201cassault weapons.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Legislature ignored every rule in the book to fast-track their civilian disarmament agenda and herd the people into a state-wide gun-free-zone,\u201d said FPC Spokesperson Craig DeLuz in a statement at the time.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Following that, last December, the California DOJ submitted its first attempt at \u201cassault weapons\u201d regulations under the OAL\u2019s \u201cFile &amp; Print\u201d process, which means that the DOJ claimed the regulations were not subject to the public notice or comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>However, DOJ withdrew the regulations near the end of OAL review period after receiving thousands of opposition letters from FPC members and Second Amendment supporters.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Then, in May of this year, the DOJ re-submitted regulations under the same \u201cFile &amp; Print\u201d process. FPC, FPF, CGF, and Craig DeLuz sued the DOJ over the Department\u2019s actions of blocking access to public records concerning its promulgation of these regulations. The regulations were completely rejected by OAL a little more than a month later.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Following that, the DOJ submitted a virtually-identical set of regulations under the \u201cFile &amp; Print\u201d process, again claiming \u201cAPA-exempt\u201d status. The OAL approved those regulations in July, allowing the DOJ to go forward with its new \u201cassault weapon\u201d regulatory process.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Then, just before closing doors for the Thanksgiving holiday, the DOJ notified FPC and other Institutional Plaintiffs that it had filed yet another proposed rulemaking on \u201cbullet-button assault weapons\u201d (that would create new 11 CCR \u00a7 5460) for the purpose of bootstrapping its prior July regulations into effect for all purposes including criminal prosecutions.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>FPC published the new proposed regulations and prior regulatory updates at BulletButtonBan.com, a Web site it established in 2016 for tracking the new California assault weapon laws and regulations. Members of the public can use FPC\u2019s Grassroots Action Tools to submit responsive written comments to DOJ regarding the new proposed regulations.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>A public hearing on the new regulations is scheduled for 10 a.m. on January 8, 2018, at the Resources Building Auditorium in Sacramento.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL PLAINTIFFS:<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs George Holt, Irvin Hoff, Michael Louie, and Rick Russell are all law-abiding, tax-paying residents of California who lawfully own firearms potentially subject to the DOJ\u2019s illegal regulatory scheme. This scheme would retroactively deem their firearms \u201cassault weapons\u201d that either must now be registered as such through a burdensome and wasteful registration process or that cannot be registered all, effectively rendering any continued possession unlawful. The DOJ\u2019s regulations expose them to criminal liability that would not otherwise exist under the actual laws regulating firearms in California.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs have joined this lawsuit to stand against the illegal regulatory actions of the DOJ and protect their rights and the rights of countless other law-abiding California gun owners being placed in jeopardy.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS:<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>The Calguns Foundation (www.calgunsfoundation.org) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves its members, supporters, and the public through educational, cultural, and judicial efforts to advance Second Amendment and related civil rights.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation\u2019s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Firearms Policy Coalition (www.firearmspolicy.org) is a 501(c)4 grassroots nonprofit organization. FPC\u2019s mission is to defend the Constitution of the United States, especially the fundamental, individual Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, through advocacy, legal action, education, and outreach.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><\/p>\n<p>Firearms Policy Foundation (www.firearmsfoundation.org) is a 501(c)3 grassroots nonprofit organization. FPF\u2019s mission is to defend the Constitution of the United States and the People\u2019s rights, privileges and immunities deeply rooted in this Nation\u2019s history and tradition, especially the inalienable, fundamental, and individual right to keep and bear arms.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A coalition of gun rights organizations plus three individual plaintiffs have sued California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":2,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[515,516,37,340,1270,384,519],"class_list":["post-560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-calguns-foundation","tag-california","tag-firearms-policy-coalition","tag-firearms-policy-foundation","tag-holt-et-al-v-becerra-et-al","tag-second-amendment-foundation","tag-xavier-becerra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11248,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions\/11248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlygunsandmoney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}