claim: California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law requiring all Christians "to register Bibles of all sizes, shapes, and translation version as 'assault weapons.'â€
origin: On 30 May 2017 the web site Babylon Bee published an item reporting that California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that would requireÂ all Christians to register Bibles as â€œassault weaponsâ€: < â€œReally, this bill should be implemented nationwide,â€ proclaimed Freedom From Religion Co-President Dan Barker. â€œCalifornia is blazing the trail for civil rights once again, as the rest of the country lags behind. There is just no place for these dangerous Assault Bibles in a civilized society. This isnâ€™t the Wild West anymore.â€ Already known to have strict laws restricting the sale and possession of assault weapons, this will expand the definition of an assault weapon to include any Bible, book quoting significant portions of the Bible, and even the dreaded high capacity Study Bibles which combine the Scripture with commentary creating an even more devastating assault of truth. The official definition of an assault weapon will now be read as any weapon that has a â€œpistol grip that protrudes from the bottom of the stock, a detachable magazine, or a double column alignment of dangerous words that cut and pierce, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, bone and marrow.â€ â€œThese deadly study Bibles can spit out 30 or 40 verses per pageâ€”and then explain the historical-grammatical context, and exegete the text!â€ Governor Brown explained to reporters after signing the bill. â€œItâ€™s 2017, for goodnessâ€™ sake. Can you believe that these religious wackos think they can just open carry Bibles in open public spaces where young children and freethinkers are present?â€ > The Babylon Bee is a self-described satire sight aimed at Christian readers. ItsÂ prominent footer declares: < The Babylon Bee is Your Trusted Source For Christian News Satire. > That disclaimer didnâ€™t stop aÂ podcastÂ from pickingÂ up the story and republishing it sans disclaimer on their web site. Although the Babylon Beeâ€™sÂ satirical nature isÂ no secret, this was not the first time that one of their stories wasÂ mistaken for real news. Claims that an imprisoned abortion provider Kermit Gosnell was a Democratic National Convention (DNC) speaker, that aÂ churchÂ was using a baptismal waterslide, and that an evangelicalÂ pastorÂ had apologized for using the nameÂ â€œJesusâ€ in a sermon confused some readers.Â