COALITION TO STOP GUN VIOLENCE HERALDS PASSAGE OF LANDMARK HANDGUN SAFETY BILL
Senator Jack Scott's SB 489 is first of its kind in nation; May lead to 24% reduction in accidental shootings
(Berkeley, CA) - The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence today heralded passage of SB 489 (Scott), which will make California the first state in the nation to require chamber load indicators and magazine disconnect devices on all newly designed semiautomatic handguns. The modifications could prevent as much as 24% of all unintentional shootings.
The measure, the first of its kind in the nation, now heads to Governor Gray Davis for signature.
"California continues to lead the nation in doing all it can to keep its citizens safe from gun violence," said Eric Gorovitz, Policy Director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the lead organizational sponsor behind S. 489. "By enacting laws like S. 489, California will show just how easy it is to prevent accidental shootings."
Under SB 489, all newly-designed, semiautomatic handguns offered for sale after 2006 must have either a magazine disconnect device or a chamber load indicator. By 2007, both devices will be required. Magazine disconnect devices prevent the firing of a round of ammunition that remains in the chamber if the magazine is removed. Chamber load indicators highlight the presence of a round in the firing chamber.
Right off of GOAL's site we see that before the safety features we forced on gun owners there was a accidental shooting in 1 out of every 27,521 gun owners. Now with the safety laws in place, it's at 1 out of every 9980 gun owners. I'm no statistician, but I do know that accidental shootings are up close to 3 times what they were before.
But hey what do I know, I'm only presenting cold hard facts.