Democratic Senator Leland Yee says the measure would reduce unintended injuries to children. “A gun is left on a dresser, a kitchen table, and the responsible adult is not there. And somehow a child picks it up, plays with it, and does harm to him- or herself,” says Yee, the bill's author.
But Republican Senator Tom Berryhill says the bill is neither practical nor well thought-out. “A homeowner who leaves a firearm on a kitchen table that owns 1,000 acres could go for a three-hour walk on his property while not violating one provision of this bill, but the average citizen who lives in a subdivision can’t even walk across the street and back without being in violation,” Berryhill says.
The measure passed 21-17. It now moves to the Assembly.
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