MICHAEL M.

HONDA
17TH DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA
WASHINGTON OFFICE:
1713 LONGWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20515
PHONE: (2021 2252631
FAX: (2021 2252699
http://www.honda.house.gov
DISTRICT OFFICE:
2001 GATEWAY PLACE
SUITE 670W
SAN JOSE, CA 95110
PHONE: (4081 4362720
(855) 680 3759
FAX: (408) 4362721
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The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Brown,
September 18, 2014
I write to urge you to sign SB 808 into law. I applaud this legislation and the effort to track the
production and circulation of homemade firearms, which are currently manufactured,
assembled, and distributed without background checks or registration of any kind.
Now, more than ever before, unregistered, untraceable firearms are easier to produce at home
by unlicensed individuals due to the increasing popularity of unfinished receivers and the
emergence of additive manufacturing technologies. Firearms that are produced at home feed
into a black market that allows criminals and dangerous individuals to access weapons that our
system of state and federal background checks and registration is designed to keep away.
The State of California has seen firsthand the impact of unregulated firearms in Stockton, CA,
where just this year three people were killed, including two suspects, after a bank robbery that
involved the use of a homemade AK-47 assault rifle. Also, in June of last year, John Zawahri
assembled his own firearm, after being denied gun purchase through traditional channels due
to mental health issues, and went on a shooting rampage that ended with the death of five
people in Santa Monica.
I have recently introduced the Homemade Firearms Accountability Act of 2014, which mirrors
the provisions within SB 808, and ensures that the regulations and safeguards already in place
for firearms purchases also apply to self-assembled or home-manufactured firearms.
We ask you to sign SB 808 and take appropriate action to address the emerging gun safety and
public safety issue of homemade firearms in California.
Sincerely,
Michael M. Honda
Member of Congress
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