[Sen. Knight] – Senate Democrats voted against, or opted not to vote on, Senate Concurrent Resolution 49 presented by Senator Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley), effectively killing the resolution, which would recognize the five-year anniversary of District of Columbia v. Heller.

Senators Anderson, Berryhill, Canella, Correa, Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani, Huff, Knight, Nielsen, Roth, Walters, Wright and Wyland voted in favor of the resolution, while Senators Block, Corbett, DeSaulnier, Evans, Hancock, Hill, Jackson, Leno, Liu, Monning, Padilla, Pavley, Steinberg, and Torres voted against, with the remainder of democrats not voting. Needing 21 votes to pass and receiving only 15, the resolution failed passage.

On June 26, 2008, the United States Supreme Court affirmed the first case in United States history to decide whether the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense.

SCR 49 commemorates the anniversary of the District of Columbia v. Heller decision and the Supreme Court’s interpretation which held that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

“You will not find a more loyal supporter of 2nd amendment gun rights here in the California Legislature,” said Senator Knight. “I have fought for the rights of gun owners in this state since my first day in Sacramento, and I will continue to do so until my last day in office. The Heller decision may have been the most significant gun ruling in the court’s history and it is my privilege to recognize the anniversary of this significant court decision.”

The resolution makes several legislative findings, some of which include that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, that the Second Amendment serves to protect an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, unconnected to militia service and that private, individual ownership and use of firearms has existed in every American state throughout the nation’s history and continues to this day as a cherished and fundamental aspect of American culture.