Of course, criminals were exempt. The Office of the California Attorney General ultimately extended the registration deadline, and people came forward and complied. They had nothing to hide. All obeyed the law and submitted to registration. Sarah Brady prevailed in court and the extended registration was declared unlawful.
Criminals are exempt from gun registration.
The Attorney General quite naturally appealed. That was 1997. But the man who held the office was beaten in the last election. Enter Bill Lockyer, the new office holder, who dropped the appeal. So now, thousands of people who obeyed the law are being ordered to give up their private property under threat of armed force or criminal prosecution.