With the Second Reading on California SB 199 last Monday, January 27, 2014, the California State Senate approved the bill sponsored by State Senator De León to bring it to the Senate Floor for the third and final reading. Dr. Airsoft of Airsoft Medicine reported that as of yesterday, SB 199 passed the Third Reading which means it has passed the State House of Senate. From there, it will move to its another important phase.

Once approved on Third Reading at the State Senate, it will then be filed in the State Assembly where it will go through the same process again such as the Assembly Committee where it will be referred to, and through readings on the Assembly Floor. Once approved in the Assembly, both versions in the State Senate and Assembly will have to be reconciled before the final voting by both Houses. If approved by both Houses, then the final step will be the Governor's signature, where he either signs it as a new law (non-signing it after 12 days will mean the bill becomes a law) or veto it and the bill goes back to the State Assembly where they will try to override the veto or just let it die.

California State Senate Chamber (Wikipedia)

There is still time to block SB 199 as the process of approving a bill is not always fast track and through the different steps in the process, the airsoft community and industry can still put their objections in the State Assemby Committee on Public Safety hearings and calling each member of the committee to state their opposition to the bill. In the State assembly, if it can be stopped at the Committee level, then it doesn't have to come to a vote on the floor, effectively killing it as compared to lobbying to the 80 members of the State Assembly.

But what matters now is how the airsoft community and industry in California, together with their allies (Animal Pest Management Services, Inc., California Association of Firearms Retailers, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc., Outdoors Sportsmen's Coalition of California, Safari Club International, and The California Sportsman's Lobby). I do not know the exact message in opposition to SB 199 in relation to all the concerns of those opposed, but we can settle on the arguments of the NSSF:

NSSF opposes the intervention of government at any level in the free marketplace by the artificial creation of a   competitive advantage for the manufacturers of one product over the manufacturers of another product in the same product category.  This is interference in commerce and, in the case of paintball guns and other BB devices; it is interference in interstate commerce.  Most BB devices are manufactured outside of California.

It is important to NSSF members that California's BB device laws be consistent with federal law.  The proposed coloration of BB guns and pellet guns in SB 199 is in direct conflict with federal law, and it is strongly opposed.

BB devices are widely used to train new shooters in the safe use and handling of firearms.  Most new shooters do not shoot a real firearm until after they have been trained with a BB device.  SB 199 could result in many of the most popular training devices being no longer available in California for this purpose.

Manufacturers cannot violate federal law in order to be in compliance with conflicting, federally preempted state law.
NSSF believes that California's existing BB device laws are adequate.  SB 199 would not improve public safety, but it would result in costly litigation over conflicts of state law with preemptive federal law.

The Airsoft Safety Foundation and the California Airsoft Community will have to work harder again to block SB 199. Dr. Airsoft has recommended the following actions:

That committee also taught us that action taken by out-of-state airsofters did not help our cause.  We appreciate your enthusiasm, but please DO NOT contact California legislators if you are not a citizen of California.  Encourage anyone you know in California to contact THEIR legislator.  Right now the priority is for all California citizens to contact members of the California Assembly Public Safety Committee.  Use the preceding link to find contact information for the committee members.  The linked contact forms only work if you live in that particular Assemblymember’s district (Assembly Districts 15 ,17, 20, 54, 59, 67, and 75).  You can then call on the phone, write snail mail, or email something like this.

California airsoft players can check with their community forums, airsoft news sites, airsoft retailers, the Airsoft Safety Foundation, and other concerned entities to coordinate actions.