Between October 1 and December 31, 2021, Californians who own assault weapons — according to a revised definition — must register their firearms with the California Department of Justice. Senate Bill 118, passed in August 2020, expanded the legal definition of assault weapons to now include firearms possessing any one of several listed attributes , such as a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds and an overall firearm length of less than 30 inches.
Implementation of SB 118 comes after several court rulings made by federal Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego that curtailed California’s existing gun safety laws, including one in June 2021 in which he compared an AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army knife. Later that month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the ruling pending appeal proceedings, allowing implementation of the new law to proceed.
Toni Wellen, chair emeritus of the Santa Barbara Coalition Against Gun Violence, said these court battles did much to mobilize gun safety advocates around SB 118. “California gun legislation has set the standard for the nation,” she added. “Right now, any lawsuit against [SB 118] will be difficult due to the Ninth Circuit’s decision.”