Firearms: securing handguns in vehicles.

Existing law prohibits a person who is 18 years of age or older, and who is the owner, lessee, renter, or other legal occupant of a residence, who owns a firearm and who knows or has reason to know that another person also residing there is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, receiving, owning, or purchasing a firearm from keeping a firearm in that residence, unless the firearm is secured, as specified. A violation of this prohibition is a misdemeanor. This bill would require a person, when leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle, to secure the handgun by locking it in the trunk of the vehicle, locking it in a locked container and placing the container out of plain view, or locking the handgun in a locked container that is permanently affixed to the vehicle's interior and not in plain view. The bill would make a violation of these requirements an infraction punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000. The bill would expressly make those requirements inapplicable to the transportation of unloaded firearms by a licensed common carrier in conformance with applicable federal law. The bill would also provide that these provisions do not supersede any local ordinance that regulates the storage of handguns in unattended vehicles if the ordinance was in effect before the date of enactment of this bill. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.