A guess everyone has a breaking point...

[Savago]

Gentlefolks

Some may remember that I started my journey about two years ago to study firearms and fell in love with the subject.

Since then, I became a stern defender of the 2nd amendment, while at same time having to deal with all the restrictions of the baroque California gun law.

Yesterday the politicians of SJ (San Jose) decided to create a gun tax (they are calling it 'gun safety insurance' or some other bs).

The idea is simple: want to have guns in your home? Got pay $25 bucks to the city *per year* for the privilege of exercising your 2nd amendment rights. More info here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/san-jose-gun-law-insurance-annual-fee/

If requested, you have to offer proof of insurance to cops and in failure in doing so, your guns will be confiscated.

My guess is that the money will be diverted to a slush fund to help finance friends of the mayor, I mean, quote "a yet-to-be-named nonprofit and doled out to community group".

My takes:
a) It won't stand in court. It is basically the same as charging a tax to be able to vote. It is clearly in violation of the Constitution.
b) Yet, it will take years of litigation to be reverted and probably will allow the State to collect money and punish innocent people for no crimes.
c) Probably will be copied by other towns in the SF Bay Area and can spread as a disease.
d) The SJ Mayor (Liccardo) knows it won't stand in the court, but he will harvest the political exposition for it (my guess is that he is planning to run for one of the California Senate seats).

I can't in good conscience give money to NRA (Nyet, Russia Actually) but can see clearly the need to start the legal fight to try to salvage what is left of gun rights in California.

With that being said, I decided to join the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA, https://crpa.org/) as they are organizing to fight against this abuse by the city of SJ. If all the remaining gun owners (we are a dying breed...) in California joined, it could stand for better odds against abuses by clearly unconstitutional laws passed by politicians that want to destroy our rights.

</rant>

[BudMan]

Just remember:
People get the government they deserve.
I admire you for wanting to stay there and change the system in California; I'd never stay to do it.

[da prez]

  Check on the USCCA. Read and ask. I have the membership. The magazine has info on many states .

  You can get info on laws and up and coming laws.

                                         da prez

[Jess from VA]

Once again, punishing and violating law abiding gun owners constitutional rights because of criminals who never follow the law. 

How do they stand on violent offenders and bail and sentencing and parole?   

Joining your State Rifle and Pistol organization is always a good idea.

Gun Owners of America gets all my money NRA used to get.  Though I belong to both.

[Serk]

If I may make a few suggestions for ACTUAL 2nd amendment defense organizations to support that aren't just getting money to get the CEO a nicer suit:

GOA, Gun Owners of America - https://www.gunowners.org/
Also, set up Amazon Smile with "Gun Owners Foundation" as your charity of choice, then everything you buy on Amazon a little bit of money goes to defending the 2nd amendment.

NAGR - National Association for Gun Rights - https://nationalgunrights.org/

SAF - The Second Amendment Foundation - https://www.saf.org/

Also, hate to turn it too political but it is what it is - stop voting for Democrats. Not saying vote for Republicans, but at least stop voting for Democrats. Republicans ain't all that, but Democrats have become... well..... if left unchecked this sort of thing would quickly be adopted nationwide if they thought they could get away with it.

(P.S. I was a pretty left wing guy myself, voted for Bill Clinton and all, until he signed the so-called Assault Weapons Ban. That was the day I left the Democrat party. Maybe you can do the same. I'll leave that angle alone after this, just pointing it out.)

Having said all that, I am a Patriot Benefactor Life Member of the NRA. They suck. I despise what the NRA has become. But, they make a good distraction to draw the ire of the left while the other gun rights organizations are ACTUALLY fighting for civil rights.

[cookiedough]

I would move outta CA just because of that if passed, which I doubt it will, but never know it is CA after all.   It is a RIGHT and therefore should NOT have to be penalized and paying extra yearly to own a gun anywhere. 

Many of the reasons I do NOT live in Dane County but 1 county south.  I do not like to be told what I can and cannot do on my own property and being charged double for everything like Dane County has. 

The more yuppies that head outta Dane County south near me the more and more I want to move away from all in the country having my own land and not having people tell me what I can and cannot do on property that I OWN....

[Savago]

@BudMan: I believe that was Reagan who said that America is the last bastion of true freedom, we got try our best to make things better.

The Reagan quote was: “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.”
:-)

@da prez: duly noted, I will check USCCA.

@Serk: my issue with Dems is that they think that the constitution is a buffet (i.e you pick what you want and throw away what you don't like), which is clearly wrong. My issue with the GOP is that it became a death cult around Covid.

[scooperhsd]

NAGR has already filed a suit on the "law(s)"

What's REALLY STUPID about the gun control crap is that it DOESNOT address the REAL PROBLEMS that they are purporting to "solve".


Yes - I would be leaving San Jose IMMEDIATELY, probably California in general. They are ******* nuts. Or at least not pay them.

[Skinhead]

ALL gun laws violate the 2A.  I've asked this before, What other constitutional right do you have to pay to exercise? 

It is nice to see that you are waking up.

[carolinarider09]

The answer to your question is basically the notion of a "slippery slope".   

So, for fun, I did a search to see what impingements there might be on the First Amendment, The Right To Assemble.

And while there is not a "cost" there are some requirements that you must pay to meet.   Primarily, the need for "insurance". 

Now, this is for more than a few people but I do not think our founding fathers had size in mind when the wrote the First Amendment. 

https://empirestateplaza.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2018/09/permittoassemblealbanypdf.pdf

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

It is a slippery slope. 

[old2soon]

      I've mentioned before How Close I was to stayin in California after my Navy hitch. Had some Really Nice offers. 1968 and with Nam still goin on I could have made a Very Generous living. But even then much like Illinois those 2 states I M O Were on the wrong track in Far Too many ways. And I see it more and more Every danged day-wrong track!! HOW much will be spent fightin ""laws"" that folks Know Are WRONG even before getting into the court room?  Another attack by an individual state testin Our Very CONSTITUTION!  And folks in deception central hoping wanting the best possible outcome to cotinue tearing down AMERICA and Everything She stands for and Represents. RIDE SAFE.