State : Governor Signs Gun Law Legalizing First Ban on Assault Weapons
SACRAMENTO — Gov. George Deukmejian signed two bills today making California the first state in the nation to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons.
The Republican governor’s signature ended a bitter fight ignited by the killing of five children at a Stockton schoolyard Jan. 17 by Patrick Purdy, a suicidal drifter armed with a Chinese-made AK-47.
“These bills are not going to bring back the life of the five beautiful young children who died so tragically on the school ground in Stockton,†Deukmejian said at a Capitol bill-signing news conference. “But we do hope and pray that these measures . . . will help our brave and courageous law enforcement community in fighting violent crime and saving innocent lives.â€
Enactment of the bills today was a major defeat for the powerful National Rifle Assn., which organized a campaign of letter-writing and phone calls to legislators by its more than 500,000 California members.
The NRA has vowed to continue its fight with a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ban.
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