California lawmakers to vote on bill restricting semiautomatic rifle sales

A dome on the California Capitol building.
(Image credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

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."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.