Stealing a gun or possessing drugs commonly used in date rape is no longer an arrestable offense in California after the passage of Proposition 47.
"In most instances, many crimes that were previously 'arrestable' as a felony will now only be 'citable' as a misdemeanor," a press release posted on the official Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Facebook said.
"That means they may not be booked into jail but rather given a citation (similar to a traffic ticket) with a court date to appear, and released in the field."
The department listed "theft of most firearms," "theft of a vehicle (under $950 value)," and "possession of heroin, cocaine, illegal prescriptions, concentrated cannabis, and methamphetamine" as examples of crimes which are no longer arrestable offenses under the new law.
Additionally, those who are awaiting trial on charges covered by the proposition will be released and those already convicted can petition the court for a reduced sentence.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" The Federalist's Sean Davis said of the new law. "I get the need for smarter sentencing laws and all that, but at what point did firearm theft and possession of date rape drugs become non-serious offenses?"
"In one fell swoop, California voters just made it a whole lot easier for criminals to commit gun crimes and perpetrate date rape."