Lawmakers in California will vote this week on a new gun control bill, which would prohibit anyone younger than 21 from purchasing a semiautomatic rifle.
Under the measure, Californians would also only be allowed to purchase one semiautomatic rifle a month, with the idea being it will make it harder for people to stock up and then illegally sell their excess weapons. State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D) said these are "the weapon of choice over and over again" in deadly mass shootings. "We are focusing on what we think is the most heinous gun that is causing most of the activity."
California already bans the sale of guns to anyone under 21, unless they have a state hunting license. Portantino told the Los Angeles Times that once he found out the 19-year-old suspect in April's deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway applied for a hunting license, he wanted to close that loophole.
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The National Rifle Association and the California Rifle and Pistol Association are both opposed to the bill.
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