It’s amazing. The average Californian would probably be up in arms if the government decided to track something like, say, car parts. Yet I expect absolute silence will come about regarding a measure that will do the same thing for gun parts in the state.

The proposal has already made it through the state assembly and is now working its way through the state Senate.

The measure, AB 2383, passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly last month 45-29 and is currently working its way through the Senate. The proposal would mandate background checks on many of the components needed to build or repair firearms and regulate those who sell them through a licensing scheme. Supporters argue it will save lives.

“This bill will help improve public safety by protecting the rights of responsible gun owners while preventing criminals and those who should not otherwise possess a firearm from gaining access,” said Assemblymember Mike Gipson, D-Gardena, sponsor of the bill. In remarks to lawmakers, Gipson cites the case of a Rancho Tehama man who built an unregulated rifle he later used in a shooting last year that left five dead. The man, Kevin Janson Neal, was barred from possessing a firearm under state law.

Gipson’s bill would require those who sell many common gun parts but do not currently have a federal firearms license to acquire a proposed Firearm Precursor Parts vendor license. The license would be needed for those who sell firearms barrels, magazines, speed loaders, unfinished frames, receivers and side plates; finished upper receivers or slides, as well as trigger packs or fire control groups. Vendors would have to meet undefined California Department of Justice requirements but could only sell such parts to individuals who pass a background check administered by DOJ– for which a $1 fee would be charged for each part. This is to help offset the estimated $6 million needed to set up the licensing and regulation.

All sales would require the vendor to log the buyer’s personal information such as name, address, driver’s license number and items purchased. The record would be uploaded on a regular basis to the DOJ’s new Firearm Precursor Part Purchase Records File, established by the bill.

Further, no parts could be sold to those under age 21.

As is normal, they’ll pretend this will protect law-abiding gun owners, but ignore the fact that this will create even more of a burden on law-abiding gun owners. It won’t protect anyone.

For one thing, these measures don’t stop bad people from building guns. They’ll cross state lines to pick up parts, or they’ll use fake IDs or straw purchasers to secure the parts. It’s not rocket science, people.

Meanwhile, the law-abiding will be forced to undergo background checks for standard purchases and be entered into a database showing their purchases. Rather than grabbing a magazine while shopping for other stuff, Californians will have to undergo a background check with every such purchase.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what comes from allowing even the slightest infringement on the Second Amendment. Anti-gunners will create every micro-burden they can come up with, all while claiming to protect the public safety. Well, it won’t. It won’t protect a damn soul. The only thing it will protect is the delicate sensibilities of anti-gunners.

Unfortunately, this is California. This will probably pass by a wide margin.

My condolences to our Californian readers.