For those of you who have been waiting to join an organization that is committed to drawing a line in the sand against any further erosions of our right to keep and bear arms, take heed: One man has given you the opportunity.

Brian Puckett, president of Citizens of America, a national pro-gun organization, issued a statement last week denouncing California's most recent anti-gun edicts. Beginning Jan. 1, the law will "ban ownership of SKS rifles with detachable magazines and require their surrender to the state," as well as "ban the buying, selling, or lending of so-called 'assault weapons' and that require present owners of such arms to register them."

"For all those who have in the past stated that, 'When the state starts confiscating guns, then I'll know it's time to fight back,' that time in California will be Jan. 1, 2000," he said.

Since the law was passed, another group has taken the initiative to draw up a referendum that would eventually be presented for a statewide vote. That initiative, called the "RKBA Amendment," seeks to establish the "inalienable right to defend life and liberty as set forth in Article I, Section 1 of the California Constitution" and "includes the fundamental right of each person to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family and home" as a right that "shall not be infringed." Additionally, the RKBA Amendment would not prohibit the state from regulating firearms access to "felons, minors, the mentally incompetent, and any person subject to restraining orders based upon their own violent conduct."

In the meantime, Puckett's call to action is compelling in that it raises the urgency of the California law by attempting to present it to gun owners across the country as a precursor to what may happen in their own communities.

On the issue of gun registration, for example, he said, "Many people oppose it because it precedes confiscation." He added, "Indeed it does, as those who were foolish enough to register their SKS rifles are now discovering."

Both initiatives represent a line in the sand against the continual erosion of the Second Amendment. While one advocates disobedience of the law, the other seeks to change the California ban and registration requirement by nullifying it. Both are worthy and both are necessary.

Of the two, however, I'm inclined to believe that Puckett's idea may have slightly more merit. Obviously there is no way to pass the RKBA Amendment before the end of the year, when the new law takes effect. In that respect, gun owners were basically duped by the California legislature into believing that initial registration of some weapons and falling into compliance on others would satisfy anointed state lawmakers. It hasn't; they have every right to feel angry and betrayed.

Not only that but there is a huge body of evidence that suggests the California law is unconstitutional on its face and diabolical in its intentions. Registration and gun bans constitute de facto "infringement" upon a person's right to bear arms, especially if that person has committed no crimes and is a citizen of good standing.

On the other hand Puckett's suggestion carries inherent risks. The threat of arrest and being tried in California courts obliged to follow state laws, no matter how flawed, is not appealing to many people.

Which is why "many people" need to side with Puckett -- it's the only way to "beat the system."

Regarding the kind of firearms being targeted by the new law -- so-called military "assault" weapons -- Puckett provides a trump card for the state of California to consider: "Any restrictive legislation on military-pattern firearms, or on military design elements of other firearms, is completely contrary to the word and spirit of the Second Amendment and is therefore flatly unconstitutional, as noted in U.S. v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939)."

The RKBA Amendment is an important long-term solution to the erosion of gun rights in California and beyond. Puckett's charge, however, may be exactly the kind of "in your face" disobedience the anointed few in Sacramento need to be jolted out of their socialist mindset.

To learn more, find out what the Lawyers Second Amendment Society has to say about this, as well as GunTruths.com. This is a fight coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

Jon E. Dougherty is a staff writer for WorldNetDaily.