California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have banned firearms from being resold by law enforcement agencies to the public, unless to a licensed dealer to be resold to other such agencies, citing concerns over the financial impacts the bill would create by imposing limitations.
Mr. Newsom, in a legislative update, announced his decision to veto the bill Oct. 8.
“I am concerned that this bill ... will restrict the ability to trade in these firearms and will cost law enforcement agencies across the state millions of dollars at a time when resources are limited, and staffing is low,” he stated.
Before 2022, such agencies weren’t restricted from reselling their weapons, but a bill approved by the governor last year limited the resale of weapons to those considered a “nuisance,” such as weapons surrendered by criminals or unclaimed or abandoned property, according to a recent Assembly Floor analysis of the bill.
“Government entities should not be putting more guns into circulation on the streets of our communities,” Mr. Fong said in the same analysis. “This practice undercuts the work that state and local leaders are doing to combat violence, including programs like gun buybacks.”
He said the bill was proposed in the wake of a recent mass shooting earlier this year in Monterey Park, which is within Mr. Fong’s district. A local law enforcement agency was organizing an online auction to sell surplus firearms the same weekend as the shooting, according to Mr. Fong.
Those opposed to the bill included more than 20 law enforcement associations across the state. They argued that by restricting resale of such firearms, the bill would prevent departments in such agencies from being able to offset costs.
“It makes little financial sense to prohibit a department from returning surplus firearms to a manufacturer/wholesaler for refund or purchase credit,” Riverside Sheriffs’ Association wrote in the recent analysis.
