It's well known that California has very strict gun laws. Despite this, California saw a huge increase in gun ownership over the past ten years. This was according to new data released in a report by the State Department of Justice.
California maintains a unique database of known gun owners called the Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS). It uses two different sources to create the database.
California has the strictest gun laws in the United States but has the most mass shootings... you’re wrong pic.twitter.com/d1oTqef7cQ
— Capt Levi (@GeovaniAlvarez_) March 9, 2019
The program has been used continuously since 2006. The goal of the program is to identify and seize the weapons of individuals prohibited from owning a gun under state law.
There is an annual report produced by the California Department of Justice that documents the number of individuals who had had their guns reclaimed. This is created by APPS. According to this data there are more than 2.5 million gun owners in 2019. There was less than a million in 2008.
Whether the gun laws or working or not is a very in-depth argument. But one thing is for sure: California wasn't hoping to trip the number of people who own a gun in their state with these tight gun laws.
More on this from Free Beacon:
The National Rifle Association said many of the sales were likely a reaction to the numerous gun restrictions passed in the state over the last decade or in fear of even more new restrictions and bans.
"It’s no secret that the state legislature in California is hostile to the Second Amendment and that, year after year, anti-gun lawmakers pass increasingly egregious legislation that targets law-abiding gun owners," Amy Hunter, a spokesperson for the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, told the Free Beacon. "People react when their rights are threatened, and it’s no surprise that many Californians are buying firearms because they’re worried their lawmakers will soon ban them. The NRA fights for Californians’ rights every day, and we are currently supporting litigation to restore rights in California."
Lara Smith, national vice president of the Liberal Gun Club and former president of the California chapter, said the increase is proof that California’s restrictive gun laws haven’t discouraged interest in gun ownership.
"I think this just goes along with an overall increase in gun ownership," she told the Free Beacon. "I think the restrictions may, in fact, be part of it. I think people have been concerned about losing their rights.
"I think it shows that if the state is using background checks to discourage interest in the shooting sports, it's not working."
The left will react how they often do. More legislation. It's possible they could look at it and decide that the laws aren't working and get rid of it, but you know that will never happen. Look for more and more gun laws in California.
