SACRAMENTO, CA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) today called upon Gov. Gray Davis to veto Senate Bill 52, should it reach his desk, because it is an unconstitutional infringement on the firearms civil rights of California residents.

SB 52 was authored by State Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena). It passed out of the Senate Wednesday and has been sent to the Assembly for consideration.

Scott’s bill would require licensing and training of all new handgun owners in the state, who would have to demonstrate their ability to use and store firearms safely. They would have to also provide local police with their name, address and a thumbprint. SB 52 is supported by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Handgun Control, Inc. and the Million Mom March.

“Currently, there are hundreds of gun laws on the books,” noted CCRKBA spokeswoman Kathryn Ballou. “Can Senator Scott supply us, and the people of California, the statistics, which would show that there are currently not enough gun laws and more are needed to prevent crimes committed with handguns? How many gun laws will be enough?”

Ballou called SB 52 “just another form of taxation in the disguise of fees.”

“It seems like this is always the answer; let’s raise the taxes on the honest, taxpaying citizen so he has even less money to provide for his family, who he is trying to protect,” she observed.

Ballou criticized the legislation also because it would place yet another burden on California law enforcement.

“Police agencies would be forced to take even more time and resources away from preventing and solving crimes to deal with the additional administrative work needed to enforce this law,” Ballou warned.

“While we sympathize with Senator Scott and his family, and many other families that have suffered personal loss through accidental shootings and gun violence, we believe that the answer is not in additional gun laws,” Ballou said. “Citizens of California should be able to exercise their Second Amendment rights without this kind of onerous legislative infringement. We encourage all gun owners to participate in firearm safety programs, which many law abiding citizens already do voluntarily, without incurring additional expense through hidden taxes.”