Dubbing California’s gun laws “the laws of unintended consequences,” an employee of a gun range in Poway says the state’s legislators do not understand the weapons nor how new rules hurt law-abiding citizens.

“Guns are the most controversial subject in this country, especially California,” said Danielle Rudolph, retail sales director at Poway Weapons & Gear Range, while speaking at the Conservative Order for Good Government’s luncheon in Rancho Bernardo on Tuesday.

COGG board member Carolyn Wells, speaker Danielle Rudolph of PWG Range and COGG President Rose Marie Dishman. (Elizabeth Marie Himchak)

“We love responsible gun owners,” Rudolph said, claiming California’s new gun laws are making things “more dangerous” for those who follow the law.

“It’s kind of scary, how they are trying to get rid of more and more guns,” she said, citing how only 731 handgun models among the 3,500 on the market are on a state-approved roster. Rudolph said the year before 935 were on the roster.

A requirement for microstamping — where the gun’s make, model and serial number must be on the gun’s firing pin that is about the size of a paper clip so when fired the information will imprint on the round’s casing — does not make sense to Rudolph either since she said the technology to do that does not exist.

Rudolph also said newer firearms with the latest safety features cannot make the roster, but guns manufactured in the late ‘80s and 1990s are on it even though she said they are technologically less safe.

“They want us to have old technology when there are newer, better (safety) options,” she said.

On her way to the event Rudolph said she technically committed eight felonies because a person with a concealed carry permit is not allowed to have a gun within 1,000 feet of a school, yet she has to drive by several campuses while commuting to work.

She said concealed carry rules endangers those issued the permit who are in most danger. As an example, she said a female victim of domestic violence with a restraining order would be forced — if following the law — to not carry her gun when dropping her children off at school. Therefore, her potential attacker knows where she will be at a certain time while unable to defend herself. While there was an attempt to make a legal exemption for those with restraining orders, the legislature said no.

“It’s scary to be in that situation, especially when (getting a gun) is done ... in the legal way,” Rudolph said.

According to Rudolph, the sheriff’s department is issuing concealed carry permits now, so the San Diego County Gun Owners Association is giving classes on how people can qualify.

She blamed the media for people mistakenly believing that the “AR” in AR-15 stands for assault rifle when it means ArmaLite, the company that developed the gun decades ago. A new law that went into effect on July 1 requiring owners of such weapons to register them was flawed, she said.

“On July 1 we had more felons ever recorded in state history (if they didn’t register),” she said. Per the law, the gun’s features classified it as an assault weapon and owners were only given a few options to make their guns legally compliant. The fine print in the registration procedure, Rudolph claims, violates people’s Fourth Amendment right to be protected against unreasonable searches and seizures. The only options if one did not want to register was to make the gun featureless or fix its magazine so it cannot be removed without disassembling the firearm.

A problem with the fixed magazine — which Rudolph said is an example of “the laws of unintended consequences” — is that the weapon cannot be properly cleared. She said that last week there was a non-injury incident at the gun range in the Poway Business Park where someone accidentally discharged one into the concrete floor while trying to disassemble the weapon.

“It’s really scary the laws that are passed faster than law enforcement can keep up with (them.) ... (California’s legislators) keep doing this over and over,” she said.

New laws have also been enacted regarding ammunition purchases. Now, online purchases must be shipped to a dealer, not one’s home. Starting in January, an ammunition purchaser card will be required, which means a fee, registration and background check. In the law’s “small print” she said dealers will have to report to the state how much ammunition a person purchases. But an exemption is buying the ammo at the range and the loophole is that 500 rounds could be purchased, only one fired, and the person leaving with the remainder, which is not reported.

In addition, gun dealers must turn Californians away if their driver’s license is not a Real ID, she said. The requirement is delaying purchases since licenses renewed by mail cannot be used while making a purchase. One must go to the DMV and present proof of citizenship.

“The DMV is not telling people this and we unfortunately have to give the bad news,” she said.

“People making these laws do not know what they are talking about ... have not shot a gun ... and are pulling ideas out of a hat,” Rudolph said, noting all the rules relate to purchasing.

While the laws put restrictions on law-abiding Californians, she said criminals will not be complying, which creates a less safe environment.

“I hear people say they will move out of California, but I say no. We need people like you fighting this state. California is a cancer and it is spreading,” Rudolph said, claiming other states are starting to follow California’s example. “We need people here fighting it and standing up to this state.”

Rudolph said the media is also to blame as it does not report incidents when a legal gun owner successfully used a weapon in self-defense. She cited examples posted on the National Rifle Association’s website that she said never received media coverage. “These things happen every day ... (with) 2.2 million to 2.5 million cases of self defense per year in the United States.

“Easily 700,000 legal (gun owners) defended themselves ... but we only hear the bad things,” she said.

Rudolph said gun sales are higher when a Democrat is in the White House and sales increased prior to the 2016 presidential election. “Man, we miss Obama,” she said. “He was the best guns salesman for us. Now people aren’t worried that their gun rights will be taken away because Trump is pro Second Amendment.

“It is when (those who never owned a gun) are told they can’t have it ... (that they) want it,” she said.

Email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com