California is engaging in some interesting tactics regarding gun control, recently the state has been removing popular handguns from its approved list of handguns in what many are calling a “stealthy” form of gun control.
California has many backwards laws regarding firearms and one of these measures is the state’s approved list of handguns. Residents of California are not allowed to buy firearms that are not on the state’s list of approved handguns and the list of firearms is seldom updated with newer models so many in California are stuck only being able to own older handgun models from an already limited selection.
This list was recently updated by the California Department of Justice and several handguns were removed from the list. The update to the list targeted Heckler & Koch with their USP line of handguns.
“On May 6, 2022, the Heckler & Koch USP9 V1, USP40 V1, Compact USP45 V1, Compact USP40 V1, USP 40 Expert V9, USP 45 Expert V1, USP40C-LEM, USP Compact 9 Stainless V1, USP Compact 45 Stainless V1, USP Compact 40 Stainless V1, and USP 45 Elite handguns were removed from the Roster of Certified Handguns pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 11, section 4070(c),” read a California DOJ bulletin disseminated to gun dealers in the state. The DOJ bulletin also directed any questions about this update to Heckler & Kock and not the state.
By removing these handguns from the list of approved firearms, the pistols “may no longer be sold, offered for sale, or manufactured,” in the state of California.
California is one of only 3 states in the country to have handgun roster laws(D.C. also has a similar system). Under this system, only “safe” handguns that have been approved by the state are available on the consumer market, “unsafe” handguns are not available to the public but they are available to law enforcement.
This law has resulted in many in law enforcement buying and selling “unsafe” handguns to the public under the table.
