California’s 39 million residents have long been on the frontlines of the legal, legislative and cultural war over our Second Amendment-protected rights. And the NRA has long been there fighting for Californians. First and foremost, this is because all American citizens need the advocacy and support of this association. But also, a failure to invest in the legal and legislative battles for freedom in California would only mean that, in time, the front would move to other states.
This interview with Dan Reid, NRA-ILA managing director of state and local affairs, covers a lot of the legal and legislative ground NRA members’ dues and contributions make possible.
In 2024’s legislative session alone, the NRA helped defeat extreme anti-gun legislation that would have unduly burdened law-abiding gun owners across California. Senate Bill 1160, for example, would have required individuals to reregister their firearms each year with the Department of Justice and pay unspecified registration fees or face penalties of up to $1,000. Senate Bill 8 would have required individuals take out and continuously maintain an insurance policy on their firearms, and Assembly Bill 3067 would have mandated homeowner and rental insurance companies to ask applicants how many firearms are in their home and where they are stored. NRA membership supports this continued fight against such egregious attacks on our freedom in the legislature.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in the NRA-backed case New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen has been a huge help,” says Dan Reid, NRA-ILA managing director of state and local affairs. “Before Bruen, California was a may-issue state. Now, like New York, this state passed expansive ‘sensitive-place’ restrictions. The NRA also has litigation on this. This is a theme in California. At any given time, the NRA is involved in pending cases on everything from semi-autos to magazine bans, to ammunition, to privacy, to gun rosters, ammunition sales.”
Indeed, for over 20 years NRA has spent tens of millions of dollars on California legal efforts—all to reinstate your rights by repealing unconstitutional laws passed by the legislature.
Some notable ongoing litigation efforts that are funded by NRA include Duncan v. Bonta, challenging the ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds; Rhode v Bonta challenging eligibility checks on ammunition purchases; and James v Maduros challenging the 11% excise tax imposed on all firearm and ammunition sales.
Meanwhile, across the nation, the NRA’s comprehensive litigation program has brought landmark wins, such as the Bruen and Vullo U.S. Supreme Court victories.
For more information on NRA’s litigation efforts visit: nraila.org/legal-legislation/current-litigation.
