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State Senate Sends SB 464 Bill to Tighten Gun Store Security to Governor
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Article Source: CA State Senator Jerry Hill
State Senate Sends Bill to Tighten Gun Store Security to Governor
SB 464 By Senator Hill Was Prompted By Rash Of Gun Store Thefts And Constituent’s Urging That Something Be Done
Sacramento –The state Senate passed legislation today by Senator Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, to ramp up security measures at California gun stores and make them less vulnerable to break-ins by thieves who use vehicles to batter their way into shops that sell firearms.
The Senate’s 24-14-2 vote sends SB 464 to Governor Brown for consideration. He has until October 15 to act on the legislation.
The bill was inspired by Anthony Lazarus of Redwood City, this year’s winner of Senator Hill’s “Oughta Be a Law…Or Not” contest, who urged the senator to come up with legislation that would thwart burglaries by thieves who use cars to batter in doors, windows or walls of gun shops.
A gun store theft on the Peninsula in 2016 prompted him to enter the annual bill idea contest. Thieves made off with an undisclosed number of weapons after driving a sedan into the front door of a San Carlos gun store.
“I wondered what could be done about it,” Mr. Lazarus said. “A quick Internet search showed this was not an isolated incident. In fact, these ram-and-grabs seemed to be happening across California. Businesses like grocery stores protect their entryways, so I figured, why couldn't gun stores?”
“Anthony Lazarus’ great bill idea is an excellent example of our democracy at work,” said Senator Hill. “My thanks go to Anthony for his interest in this important safety and security issue and his decision to share it with me. I’m also grateful to my colleagues for their support of SB 464.”
SB 464 strengthens storage requirements for firearms at gun stores when they are closed for business. While giving proprietors options, the bill lays out steps for making gun stores more resistant to break-in attempts, even if thieves attempt to bash their way into shops with cars.
According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, at least 1,487 guns were reported stolen between 2012 and 2016 in California. During the same period, the number of gun store burglaries doubled.
Just last year, a trend emerged in gun store break-ins: Burglars used cars to smash into gun stores in Ceres, Elk Grove, Folsom, Petaluma, Rocklin, San Carlos, Sunnyvale and Ventura. In some cases, no weapons were stolen; in others, the number of firearms taken was undisclosed.
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Resources:
Fact sheet:http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/sites/sd13.senate.ca.gov/files/sb464_gunstoresecurity.pdf
Text of Senate Bill 464:https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB464
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Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives
Source Credit: CA State Senator Jerry Hill
