Gun-control bills advance in Sacramento

[Robb]

SACRAMENTO -- A package of bills that would once again give California the nation's toughest gun-control laws passed a key legislative hurdle Tuesday, setting up a white-hot Capitol showdown.

The Assembly Committee on Public Safety hearing offered a preview of that battle, as dozens of gun-control advocates -- including some who have lost loved ones to violent crime -- faced off against gun-rights supporters who believe that a basic freedom is threatened.

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By the hearing's end, the committee had voted along party lines to approve bills that would add all semi-automatic rifles that accept detachable magazines to the state's list of banned assault weapons; ban owning any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds, including existing ones; ban bullet buttons that allow fast swapping of rifle magazines; require long-gun buyers to pass a written safety test; and add more crimes to the list of those that would bar someone from carrying a firearm. The bills, already passed by the state Senate, are moving inexorably closer to floor votes and the governor's desk.

Tuesday's votes followed similar actions Monday in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which voted to approve an Assembly bill aimed at prohibiting firearms in homes where any resident is legally barred from owning one, unless they're locked up or carried by a lawful owner.

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