Bill to Prohibit ‘Ethnic Shooting Targets’ For Law Enforcement Vetoed By Gov. Newsom

A bill that would have prohibited the usage of “ethnic shooting targets”, despite no law enforcement agency or department in the state using them, was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 1020, authored by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), would have required each law enforcement agency and basic course presenter to prohibit the use of ethnic shooting targets. According to the bill, “ethnic shooting targets” would have meant any physical range target that depicts a human form or part of a human form that includes skin colors or facial features from which a person might reasonably discern a race or ethnicity of the person depicted. An “ethnic shooting target” would not have included a silhouette target or a human form target that does not have facial features. In addition, the usage of a realistic training simulator that utilizes live actors or live actors in video playback would not have been prohibited.

Bradford, the California Public Defenders Association and supporters claimed the bill was needed because the usage of such targets would help promote racial bias through shooting practice and training. However, detractors quickly pointed out that realism was needed for training and that departments could likely have to pay more for targets and other training materials to comply with such a broad law. Even worse for supporters, a Senate Committee found in April that no California law enforcement agency or department actually uses such targets.

Despite this, SB 1020 passed through both houses in Sacramento this year. Most Republican lawmakers, as well as a few Democrats, either abstained from voting or outright vetoed the bills. The Assembly vote only barely made it through, passing 55-1 with 23 abstentions, with many pointing out concerns that the definition of a shooting target was still way too broad.

These concerns came to a head on Wednesday when Governor Newsom vetoed the bill for that very reason. In his veto message, the Governor wrote, “I am returning Senate Bill 1020 without my signature. This bill would require that law enforcement agencies and instructors adopt policies prohibiting the use of ‘ethnic shooting targets.'”

“Law enforcement training should not reinforce ethnic biases. But the definition of ‘ethnic shooting target’ in this bill is so broad that it could effectively ban targets with any realistic facial features, undermining efforts by law enforcement to train officers effectively. For this reason, I cannot sign this bill.”

The defeat of SB 1020 was only the latest this session for Senator Bradford, who saw much of his legislation either vetoed or pulled this year. Many of those defeated bills were reparation legislation, with bills falling because of cost concerns, the lack of infrastructure to carry them out, and numerous other reasons. SB 1020 simply followed the same path as them on Wednesday.

“This bill made no sense whatsoever,” explained Lee Vaughan, a gun range owner and former shooting instructor for a police department academy, to the Globe on Thursday. “I hate to say this, but Newsom is right. This bill would ban pretty much any remotely realistic target out there, and officers need that realism. Yeah, live actors or more virtual training methods weren’t counted, but those only go so far. Regular practice with targets, it’s needed. It’s just gone too far.”

Newsom is expected to continue to veto and sign bills into law through September 30th.