Last Updated on February 3, 2023 by BVN
Asante-Ra |
On Wednesday, January 25, 2023, CA Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) introduced Senate Bill (SB) 241 requiring all federally licensed firearm dealers in California, and their employees, to complete annual training provided by the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ).
CA DOJ training will cover federal and state laws governing the sales and transfers of firearms and ammunition; how to recognize indicators an individual intends to use a firearm for fraudulent activity, unlawful purposes, or self-harm; theft and burglary prevention. The training will also focus on the rules of safe firearm handling and storage and other reasonable business practices that will deter gun trafficking or the unlawful use of firearms.
SB 241 builds on Senator Min’s SB 1384 (Chapter 995, Statutes of 2022) which requires firearms dealers to carry liability insurance and install onsite surveillance, signed by the Governor last year.
Mandatory training and gun dealer certification intends to prevent theft, straw purchases, and other nefarious crimes that are too often a result of the free flow of guns in our communities. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) reports 1,903 federally licensed dealers or pawnbrokers of firearms in California.
“We have got to do something to reduce the gun violence in this country. While this bill will not end gun violence, it will help to reduce it, by requiring gun dealers to undergo training to prevent theft, fraud, and illegal purchases,” Min said in a press release. “Nearly all gun violence in this country stems from guns that were originally purchased from legal outlets. It’s long past time that we required gun retailers to put in place responsible sales practices, to ensure that every legal gun sale is thoroughly scrutinized by the person processing the transaction.”