It's official, the last Hi-Point handguns approved for sale in California under the state's ridiculous Handgun Roster, will likely be de-certified at the end of the year.
This all goes back to 2001 when California established, under their Department of Justice, the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale. To get their firearms on the "approved" list, gun makers had to submit them to the DOJ of anti-gun Attorney General Kamala Harris with a fee of $200. Once they had passed firing, safety, and drop tests, they were added to the list for a certification period of five years.
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California Attorney General Kamala Harris, image via the Calguns Foundation.
Then, when it came time for renewal, or a new version of the gun came out, the same thing had to be done once again (and another $200 fee paid.). However, in 2013, the state's microstamping law went into effect. As defined by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, "Microstamping is a patented process that micro-laser engraves the firearm's make, model and serial number on the tip of the gun's firing pin so that, in theory, it imprints the information on discharged cartridge cases."
Which sound really neat, only that it doesn't work.
Nevertheless, Harris and the DOJ pushed the requirement into the roster after 2013 for all semi-automatic handguns (revolvers don't eject shell casings) and saw the number of approved guns plummet from a high of over 1,300 models, to just 751 today. You see, as once approved semi-autos have their certification expire, they can't be added back to the list because currently in the U.S. there are no makers producing a gun that can make a legible and reliable microstamp.
This resulted in a lawsuit from the NSSF saying, "Manufacturers can not comply with a law the provisions of which are invalid, that cannot be enforced and that will not contribute to improving public safety. As a result, we are seeking both declaratory and injunctive relief against this back-door attempt to prevent the sale of new semiautomatic handguns to law-abiding citizens in California."
A second suit, brought by the Calguns Foundation, is also taking the DOJ to task.
However, until that happens, the roster will continue to shrink. Just this month alone no less than 80 pistols lost their certification and 0 new ones were added.
Currently there are no .40S&W or .45ACP Hi Point handguns on the approved roster. The only two models that are listed, the C9 9mm and the CF380 .380ACP pistol, will lose their certification on Jan. 1, 2017 unless somehow (don't hold your breath) Hi Point becomes the first gun maker in the world to produce a workable microstamping technology.
Of course, you can still buy used Hi Points in circulation in California, and, if you are law enforcement, can visit a police -friendly gun shop that sells off-roster guns to cops, but by and large, the days of being able to buy a new Hi Point pistol in California from a dealer are literally numbered.
And for those Carbine lovers on the West Coast, don't worry, they are coming for your bullet buttons too!
Remember, get involved in gun politics before gun politics gets involved with you.
This all goes back to 2001 when California established, under their Department of Justice, the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale. To get their firearms on the "approved" list, gun makers had to submit them to the DOJ of anti-gun Attorney General Kamala Harris with a fee of $200. Once they had passed firing, safety, and drop tests, they were added to the list for a certification period of five years.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris, image via the Calguns Foundation.
Then, when it came time for renewal, or a new version of the gun came out, the same thing had to be done once again (and another $200 fee paid.). However, in 2013, the state's microstamping law went into effect. As defined by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, "Microstamping is a patented process that micro-laser engraves the firearm's make, model and serial number on the tip of the gun's firing pin so that, in theory, it imprints the information on discharged cartridge cases."
Which sound really neat, only that it doesn't work.
Nevertheless, Harris and the DOJ pushed the requirement into the roster after 2013 for all semi-automatic handguns (revolvers don't eject shell casings) and saw the number of approved guns plummet from a high of over 1,300 models, to just 751 today. You see, as once approved semi-autos have their certification expire, they can't be added back to the list because currently in the U.S. there are no makers producing a gun that can make a legible and reliable microstamp.
This resulted in a lawsuit from the NSSF saying, "Manufacturers can not comply with a law the provisions of which are invalid, that cannot be enforced and that will not contribute to improving public safety. As a result, we are seeking both declaratory and injunctive relief against this back-door attempt to prevent the sale of new semiautomatic handguns to law-abiding citizens in California."
A second suit, brought by the Calguns Foundation, is also taking the DOJ to task.
However, until that happens, the roster will continue to shrink. Just this month alone no less than 80 pistols lost their certification and 0 new ones were added.
Currently there are no .40S&W or .45ACP Hi Point handguns on the approved roster. The only two models that are listed, the C9 9mm and the CF380 .380ACP pistol, will lose their certification on Jan. 1, 2017 unless somehow (don't hold your breath) Hi Point becomes the first gun maker in the world to produce a workable microstamping technology.
Of course, you can still buy used Hi Points in circulation in California, and, if you are law enforcement, can visit a police -friendly gun shop that sells off-roster guns to cops, but by and large, the days of being able to buy a new Hi Point pistol in California from a dealer are literally numbered.
And for those Carbine lovers on the West Coast, don't worry, they are coming for your bullet buttons too!
Remember, get involved in gun politics before gun politics gets involved with you.
