Rich Howell shows off a California-compliant rifle. Proof that Californians will not be denied their 2A rights. (Photo: Reno Gazette Journal).
Necessity is the mother of invention, right? No one knows that better than Californians.
Over the years the state has passed law after law infringing on their right to keep and bear arms. But with every turn of the screw, Californians have fought back, finding new workarounds that allow them to maintain some semblance of their 2A rights while vexing anti-gunners in the process.
With 2018 around the corner. Here are some examples of what Californians are doing to stick it to their overlords in Sacramento.
Law: No more Online Ammo Sales (2018), Background Checks for All Ammo Sales (2019)
Workaround: Buy ammo out of state. Simple as that. For Californians who live along border states like Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon it’ll be relatively easy. For everyone else, it might be a long car ride. Still, go for a road trip. Buy in bulk. And be done with it. Don’t give them the satisfaction or the tax revenue from purchasing from California vendors. Sorry California ammo sellers, you’ll have to take one for the team on this.
Law: Bullet Button Ban (2018)
Workaround: The Bullet Button was a workaround against the state’s initial ban on black rifles with detachable magazines, telescoping stocks, flash hiders, and pistol grips. It’s a simple device that secures a magazine to a rifle so that it cannot detach without the use of a tool (or tip of a bullet) to disengage it.
Lawmakers caught on to the Bullet Button and banned it. As part of that legislation, they are requiring current owners with a bullet button on their rifle to register it with the state. Heck no! To escape this nonsense, just remove the Bullet Button and add a Patriot Pin.
A Patriot Pin circumvents the law because with the device installed a user cannot detach a magazine without opening the action. The beauty of the Patriot Pin is that it’s a rapid way to open the action and, thus, release the mag. Basically, with the push of a button.
SEE ALSO: Meet FN’s New California-Compliant Rifles
Law: Black Rifle Ban
Workaround: Suppose you don’t want to go the route of the Patriot Pin or the Bullet Button. There is a way to have a rifle with a detachable magazine. The tradeoff is you can’t have any features. No collapsing stock, no flash hider, no pistol grip.
The solution is a featureless rifle. An AR with a funky-looking non-pistol grip, a fixed stock and no flash hider. They’re ugly. Hideous compared to standard ARs. But they’ll get the job done. What’s more, it is yet another way to flip off the powers that be.
Law: Ban on Carrying Long Guns in Unincorporated Areas (2018)
Workaround: While the state legislature passed this law, the decision on whether it applies to various areas is actually up to the local counties. Convince the board members in your county not to enact the new rule and it won’t take effect. Easier said than done if you live outside of counties like Los Angeles or San Diego. Nevertheless, give it a go.
Conclusion
Rich Howell (see video below) made an astute observation in an interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal.
“They can pass all the laws they want, and I can guarantee you we are going to find a way around them,” said Howell, the general manager of Olde West Gun & Loan in Redding, CA.
Ain’t that the truth.