We are devastated to share the news that on Thursday, 9/29 Governor Brown vetoed AB 3131, which would have held law enforcement accountable to their communities when they wanted to get military-grade weapons. In his veto message, he said that AB 3131 was “overbroad” and “creates an unnecessary bureaucratic hurdle” for law enforcement.

We strongly disagree. We all deserve a say in how our communities are policed, and we deserve a legally mandated venue for telling law enforcement that we don’t want them to use sniper rifles on us and our neighbors. (If that sounds overwrought, consider that over 6,000 rifles have been transferred to local law enforcement agencies in California since the military transfer program began.)

But even in our disappointment, we are proud to have co-sponsored AB 3131 with the ACLU of California Center for Advocacy & Policy, American Friends Service Committee, and the Anti Police-Terror Project. We are proud of the members of Indivisible chapters across California who made calls, wrote letters, and met with their legislators. This was our first attempt at co-sponsoring legislation, and we never could have gotten so far without YOUR help. Thank you so much! We are also incredibly grateful to authors Assemblymembers Todd Gloria and David Chiu, who shepherded the bill through the legislature, and Senator Jerry Hill, who advocated for it on the Senate floor.

We will fight again when the legislative session restarts in January, and with your help we will be savvier and stronger.