The gun rights situation in CA seems like it comes straight out of a conspiracy novel. CA citizens are used to the routine of renewing their drivers’ licenses by mail or in person at the DMV. As of January 22, 2018, every Californian who goes through all the same steps they have in the past immediately loses their gun rights!
Without any warning or explanation, these American Citizens end up with the same license as an illegal alien. This new “AB60” license isn’t recognized in other states, and worst of all – effective immediately – the bearer of an AB60 license cannot buy guns! That’s right – Californians are silently and systematically losing their Constitutionally-protected gun rights at the DMV!
We’d have a hard time believing this if we weren’t seeing it firsthand at AO Sword Firearms, our retail gun store in the San Diego area. We also have direct and verified confirmation and applicable guidance from the CA Department of Justice and the federal BATF, the two agencies that regulate firearms transfers at the state and federal levels.
So what is this new AB60 License?
The AB60 license is a California implement to allow illegal aliens to get a driver’s license. Since it is issued to non-citizens and undocumented aliens as well as citizens, it is not valid federal ID and isn’t proof of citizenship. It doesn’t even have to be recognized as a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in any other state! It says FEDERAL LIMITS APPLY on it in tiny lettering. The State is taking this a step further by automatically giving a FEDERAL LIMITS license by default to everyone who renews – even Californians who are US Citizens!
The DMV advertises the availability of the new federally-compliant REAL ID as an option, but they don’t warn you that opting out results in your civil rights being stripped away effective immediately! As a matter of fact, the advertisements, posters and flyers all specifically cite 2020 as the deadline to obtain a Real ID. The DMV does NOT advise you that you’re about to receive a Federally Limited license, they do NOT advise you of your options, and they do NOT inform you when you are at the desk that you must bring additional identification (Social Security card, Birth Certificate, and proof of residence) in order to receive a Real ID license.
California is abusing the DMV’s authority in order to systematically eliminate the ability of all residents to buy guns. Make no mistake, the CA DMV has been fully involved in gun sales for decades – as retail firearms dealers, we see more than one case a month at AO Sword Firearms in which buyers are DENIED by the state for unpaid parking tickets or other DMV fees. These purchase denials come through the CA state DROS system as “DMV REJECT” background checks. That’s right – the State of California already strips citizens of their basic, Constitutionally-protected civil rights for unpaid parking tickets!
This problem is not limited to citizens losing their gun rights. As of January we are now getting illegal aliens coming into AO Sword Firearms and attempting to buy guns with their new, official state-issued AB60 licenses. That’s right – non-citizens think that this AB60 license now gives them the rights of US citizens, and they’re trying to obtain firearms! If the gun store doesn’t catch it at the retail counter, or if it slips through the cracks at the DOJ in the background check (national news confirms weekly that the background check system is seriously flawed), illegal aliens can obtain guns right over the retail counter!
SPREAD THE WORD! Bring your birth certificate, social security card, and proof of residency to your DMV license renewal appointment, demand to be issued a Real ID, and don’t accept a FEDERAL LIMITS license! See the DMV website regarding the Real ID (linked here) for a full list of the required documents. More importantly, elect state legislators who don’t give US citizen’s rights to illegal aliens while simultaneously stripping civil rights from actual citizens!
Background Information
From the federal ATF:
“This means there is no distinction between an AB 60 license and a non-REAL ID […]. As a result, California licensed firearm dealers are currently prohibited from accepting non-REAL IDs for the purposes of firearm transfers due to ATF’s current policy.”
NOTE: ATF reversed their decision and rescinded the above guidance letter on 3/23/18. However, the CA DOJ knows that the CA DMV is issuing identical AB60 licenses to illegal aliens as well as citizens. Thus the DOJ continues to reject any DROS (background check for obtaining a firearm) submitted with an AB60 license.