CALIFORNIA'S ASSAULT WEAPONS LAW HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED

Most assault weapon owners in California have so far ignored a landmark state law requiring that they register their firearms by Jan. 1, state officials said Wednesday. According to Bob Drake, chief of the state Bureau of Justice Information Services, only 5,150 of the estimated 200,000 to 300,000 assault weapons in the state have been registered since California became the first state in the nation to ban sales of the military style guns last January,

The National Rifle Association said gun owners are refusing to register their assault weapons as an act of civil disobedience to protest the law, while gun control advocates say the NRA has encouraged gun owners to ignore the law.