Senator Portantino’s Poway Synagogue Shooting Bill Sent to the Governor

Intended to address concerns related to the deadly synagogue shooting in Poway in April 2019, Senate Bill 914, authored by Sen. Anthony Portantino’s (D–La Cañada Flintridge), has passed the Legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature.

SB 914 requires the Department of Justice to determine the validity of hunting licenses of persons under 21 during the 10-day waiting period. This bill additionally defines what constitutes a valid and unexpired hunting license.

The 19-year-old perpetrator of the Poway shooting, which left one person dead and three wounded, including the rabbi, was able to purchase a rifle despite being under 21 and not having a valid hunting license.

Parties failed to adequately check the validity of the license at the time of purchase.

“We have a gun violence epidemic in our country and it sadly has become all too common to see senseless violence in the news,” Portantino said in a prepared statement. “It is even more appalling that these shootings, including the Poway tragedy, have increasingly targeted houses of worship.

“California leads the country in combating gun violence but there is more we can do. I have made firearm reform a priority for my entire career and I am pleased to continue to author legislation to increase safety on Main Street California. Sadly, politics often shapes our view of gun control reforms when we should be looking at the devastating impact these weapons have on people’s lives,” commented Portantino.

Portantino authored the bill that banned the sale of long guns, including the semi-automatic rifles often used in these types of shootings, to those under 21.

Last year, the senator authored legislation to close the hunting license exemption for semi-automatic, center-fire rifles to ensure that background checks are done accurately.

In addition, the senator’s record includes preventing the sale of semi-automatic, center-fire rifles to those under 21 and restricting the sale of these types of weapons to one a month. He brought regulations for these types of high-powered weapons in line with existing regulations related to handguns.