California bill to clamp down on semiautomatic rifles heads for vote this week

SACRAMENTO — Californians would be barred from buying more than one semiautomatic rifle a month and those weapons would be off-limits to people younger than 21 under a bill set for a final vote in the Legislature this week.

The restrictions are being sought by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), who noted that such weapons have been used in mass shootings, including an April attack on the Chabad of Poway by a 19-year-old man who killed one person and injured three others.

Portantino’s bill originally would have limited purchases of all long guns to one every 30 days, but he decided to exclude shotguns and some rifles that are popular with hunters and instead focus the restriction on semiautomatic rifles.

“That’s the weapon of choice over and over again” for mass shooters, Portantino said to explain why he narrowed the bill to those guns. “We are focusing on what we think is the most heinous gun that is causing most of the activity.”