Gov. Brown and gun control advocates win two in California

Gun rights advocates lost a battle, but they’re preparing for a much longer war.

California’s gun ballot initiative, Proposition 63, passed last night with 63 percent of the vote. Although this fact was largely lost in the election noise, the most noteworthy and controversial aspects of the sweeping gun prop are already etched into law. In July, Gov. Jerry Brown signed off on legislation that, like Prop 63, outlawed the possession of magazines that carry more than 10 bullets, required background checks for buying ammunition, and banned the sale of certain types of semiautomatic assault rifles.

While Prop 63 irks Second Amendment activists, its passage isn’t exactly surprising. That may explain why, in the lead up to Election Day, the gun lobby’s opposition to the ballot measure was somewhat muted. “It’s been this way since Brown signed the bills. If there was anything groundbreaking, anything revolutionary here, that’s when it happened. Prop 63, with the exception of a few things, is redundant,” says Chuck Michel, the President of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, the National Rifle Association’s official California affiliate.

There are some differences between the proposition and the existing law. Prop 63 requires owners to report lost or stolen guns. It also creates a system for confiscating guns from felons who are prohibited from owning them. It also elevates all gun thefts to felonies.

Passing Prop 63 appears to be a slam dunk for supporters of tougher gun laws.

Also in this election, Proposition 57, Gov. Jerry Brown’s push to loosen prison parole rules, was approved by voters. Proposition 57, the governor’s plan to further shrink the state’s prison population, was supported by almost two-thirds of voters in Tuesday night returns. Its strongest support came from urban areas with a sizable number of Democratic voters.

The ballot measure changes the state’s prison and legal systems in three significant ways. The least controversial element will reverse a law approved by voters in 2000 that sent more juvenile defendants to adult courtrooms. Those young defendants will now only be charged as adults with a judge’s approval.

The most controversial parts of Proposition 57 involve the prospect of parole for felons who have not been convicted of one of California’s designated “violent” crimes, and the creation of new good-behavior credits that all state prisoners would be eligible to earn.

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