AB 1333 Defeat, CCW Renewal Reform & California 11% Gun Tax Fight – Gunslinger Radio 02/01/25

[0:00] Opening: Back in the Saddle with Motor Slingers

The show kicks off with a splash of classic car energy and a little good-natured confusion about the show’s name before settling into business. Jeff wastes no time: there’s real news out of Sacramento this week and it’s worth getting to fast. CRPA’s Rick is standing by to break it down.

[0:24] AB 1333 is Dead – CRPA’s Rick Reports from Sacramento

Rick from the California Rifle and Pistol Association delivers the headline: AB 1333, pushed by an Assemblyman out of the Hollywood Hills, has been pulled for the session. The bill would have stripped Californians of meaningful self-defense rights, and despite the author’s complaints that opponents were misleading the public, the language was clear enough. Law enforcement agencies, the CRPA, Gun Owners of California, and allied groups formed a coalition that applied enough pressure to get the thing amended first and then killed outright on a Friday. It’s dead for this session. Whether it stays that way is another matter entirely.

Rick’s tone is measured: a win is a win, but the coalition that killed this bill needs to stay sharp. The left’s playbook here is incremental. Chip away at self-defense rights, bill by bill, until enough people are exhausted or confused to push back effectively. The answer is a strong standing coalition, and that’s what the CRPA is building.

[2:00] CCW Online Classes – What California Actually Allows

The conversation turns to a question that’s been circulating on pro-2A forums and social media: can you take your CCW qualifying class online in California? The short answer is no, not yet. Some other states allow it, and a handful of California sheriff’s offices are reportedly evaluating the option, but nobody has made the move official. Rick’s caution here is worth heeding. Some Californians have already paid for online CCW courses, only to find those classes weren’t recognized by their issuing county. Before you spend a dime, check with your specific sheriff’s office and confirm which providers are on their approved list. Knowledge gained is never wasted, but an unapproved class won’t get you a permit.

The nuance gets a little deeper: San Diego County and at least one or two others are looking at online classes partly because of changes coming through the California Department of Justice tied to a lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff for slow permit issuance. A judge agreed that if you can drive in any state you should be able to use your firearm with a valid CCW, which feeds directly into the broader national reciprocity push. Two bills, one in the Senate and one in the House, are currently moving through the federal government. Rick gives it about three to four years to shake out nationwide, given the variation between open-carry, licensed concealed-carry, and constitutional-carry states, plus the inevitable legal challenges.

[5:51] Four-Year CCW Renewal Bill Moving Through Committee

California currently requires CCW holders to renew every two years. A bill in committee would extend that to four years across the board, with an initial batch of holders potentially landing a three-year renewal as a bridge to the new cycle. The practical upside goes beyond convenience. CCW costs in California vary wildly. Some counties process permits for under $300. Others push the number close to $2,000, a price point that effectively prices law-abiding citizens out of a constitutional right. Spreading a renewal over four years makes that math more manageable. The CRPA is also pursuing litigation on the exorbitant fees themselves, arguing that charging prohibitive prices for a right is flatly illegal.

[6:55] California’s 11% Firearm and Ammo Tax Faces Multistate Legal Challenge

This is where the conversation gets some real teeth. California’s excise tax on firearms and ammunition sits at roughly 11%, which stacks on top of existing federal taxes and pushes the effective rate toward 21%. The official framing from Sacramento is that manufacturers pay the tax. Rick dismantles that argument with a single sentence: manufacturers pass costs downstream. The FFL gets it, then the consumer gets it. The end buyer is the one writing the bigger check, which is exactly the intended effect.

What’s changed is the legal landscape. The challenge is now active in more than 10 states, which is significant because multiple circuits are now involved. Even if the Ninth Circuit waves it through, another circuit overturning the tax creates the kind of split that forces a Supreme Court ruling. That’s the path. It’s not fast, but it’s real. In the meantime, Jeff notes that the tax is landing hard on his customers. People looking to add a firearm to their collection are running into an extra $100 or more tacked on at the counter, and the frustration is palpable. That’s the policy goal: make it expensive and annoying enough that people give up.

[9:15] One-Per-30-Day Purchase Limits and the Bruen Precedent

Jeff raises the question of what comes next if the 11% tax gets struck down. His guess: they’ll try to revive one-per-30-day purchase limits. Rick points out that Bruen has actually reset the legal standard here in a meaningful way. Multiple courts have already rejected one-gun-a-month laws on historical grounds, since there’s no precedent for that kind of restriction in the nation’s history. The CRPA goes into any new fight with more legal ammunition than it had before those rulings came down.

[10:25] Gunslinger’s February Auction Numbers – Online Bidding Surges

Before the break, Jeff drops an interesting data point about the most recent Gunslinger Auctions sale. Historically, the split between in-house and online bidders runs roughly 60/40. The February auction flipped that completely: 80% of activity came from online buyers. The team shipped out more firearms from that single auction than from any previous sale. The FFL binders that used to number two per auction ballooned to four. Online bidding on Proxibid and HiBid is clearly drawing a wider pool of buyers than the walk-in floor ever could.

[11:20] Phone Lines Open – Motor Slingers Call-In Segment

With the Sacramento news covered, the show opens the phones for the Motor Slingers call-in hour. The number is 866-870-5752. Leon is on deck and ready to take calls for the remainder of the broadcast.

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