Walnut Creek murder-suicide suspect used “ghost guns,” police say 
 
 A 21-year-old Lafayette man who shot his former girlfriend to death at her Walnut Creek home before taking his own life used two untraceable “ghost guns” he built himself with mail-ordered parts, police said Tuesday. 
 
 Scott Bertics shot and killed Clare Orton, 19, at her home in Walnut Creek’s North Homestead neighborhood about 6:50 a.m. July 21, said Walnut Creek police Lt. Lanny Edwards. 
 
 An investigation determined that Bertics had secretly purchased various parts for the guns by mail and then built the weapons himself, Edwards said. 
 
 Police referred to the firearms as “ghost guns” because they contained no serial numbers. 
 
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 The homemade guns usually include unfinished lower receivers, the critical mechanism from which bullets are fired. Lower receivers normally require serial numbers, but incomplete ones can be bought as just simple pieces of metal. 
 
 There was no evidence that the retailers sold Bertics the gun parts illegally, Edwards said. 
 
 “There has been nothing in this investigation to suggest anyone else was involved or had any knowledge of Scott Bertics’ plans prior to the tragedy,” Edwards said. 
 
 Bertics, who had once dated the victim, was a 2012 graduate of Acalanes High School in Lafayette who went on to Stanford University. 
 
 Orton was a 2014 graduate of Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, where she was a cross-country and track athlete. She was studying environmental engineering at San Diego State University and made the dean’s list in the fall semester. 
 
 Bertics also ran cross-country and track in high school, then studied electrical engineering and computer sciences at Stanford. He took a leave of absence from the university after the fall 2014 semester, officials said. 
 
 In September 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have tightened laws on unregistered guns built with parts purchased online and delivered through the mail. 
 
 The bill — proposed by state Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles — would have banned the sale of gun parts unless they had serial numbers and required buyers to go through background checks. 
 
 At the time, De León warned that criminals, gang members and anyone else who wants to avoid background checks can get the parts through the mail and assemble their own guns. 
 
 In his veto message, Brown said, “I appreciate the author’s concerns about gun violence, but I can’t see how adding a serial number to a homemade gun would significantly advance public safety.” 
 
 Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee ||||| WALNUT CREEK -- A one-time Stanford University student who killed his former girlfriend and himself at her home last month built the gun he used from parts he ordered from the Internet, police said Tuesday. 
 
 Scott Bertics, 21, turned the homemade weapon on himself after shooting 19-year-old Clare Orton in the doorway of her family's home on Holton Court, off Homestead Avenue, around 6:50 a.m. on July 21. Orton was home for the summer during a break from classes at San Diego State. 
 
 Police quickly focused the investigation on where Bertics got the two guns found at the scene. Neither had a serial number, Walnut Creek police Lt. Lanny Edwards said. 
 
 Further investigation revealed that he obtained parts to make his own guns by ordering them online, Edwards said. 
 
 "Basically, anyone can buy parts," Edwards said. "These places sell the metal. They sell a trigger assembly. They sell handles and stocks. Essentially, you can buy 80 percent of a gun. That's what he did." 
 
 According to Edwards, everything Bertics did to assemble the gun was legal. Such parts to build a gun generally would run between $400 and $1,200, according to websites advertising the parts and Edwards' own estimates. 
 
 Bertics, like Orton, was majoring in engineering. 
 
 Police have not said Bertics' motive in showing up at the Ortons' door. He and Orton dated for a while but had not seen each other in that capacity since 2013, Edwards said. 
 
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 Small aspects of the crime still were being investigated, according to Edwards, but nothing has happened in the two weeks since the shooting to indicate anyone else was involved or that Bertics tipped off anyone to his plans. 
 
 "This should not be seen as something that can easily be done," Edwards said. "He knew what he was doing." 
 
 According to Stanford's website, Bertics was part of a team in 2013 who worked on a project called "Controlling Robot Dynamics with Spiking Neurons" and wrote a paper with other team members in 2014 titled, "Controlling Articulated Robots in Task-Space with Spiking Silicon Neurons." 
 
 He took a leave from Stanford after the fall 2014 quarter and didn't return. 
 
 Orton was an honors student at San Diego State, according to a school merit page. Her Facebook page indicated she belonged to the Society of Western Engineers at San Diego State, and that she was part of the Eco-Action Club while attending Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, where she graduated in 2014. 
 
 Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4789 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rderh. ||||| Gov. Jerry Brown signs 6 gun-control bills, vetoes 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Photo: Sturm, Ruger & Co. Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Image 1 of 12 | Expanding 'assault weapon' definition A look at California's new gun control laws 
 
 Signed: SB880 by Sen. Isadore Hall III, D-Compton, which expands the definition of “assault weapon” to include specified guns capable of accepting any type of detachable magazine. less A look at California's new gun control laws 
 
 Signed: SB880 by Sen. Isadore Hall III, D-Compton, which expands the definition of “assault weapon” to include specified guns capable of accepting any type of ... more Photo: Sturm, Ruger & Co. Image 2 of 12 | High capacity magazines Signed: SB1446, which makes it illegal to possess magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The sale or manufacturing of large-capacity magazines is illegal in the state and now the possession of them will be too. 
 
 less Signed: SB1446, which makes it illegal to possess magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The sale or manufacturing of large-capacity magazines is illegal in the state and now the possession of ... more Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Image 3 of 12 | Ammo background checks Signed: SB1235 requires background checks for people buying ammunition, a license for people selling bullets and purchasing data submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. Newsom’s measures also require background checks for buying ammunition, although regulated differently. less Signed: SB1235 requires background checks for people buying ammunition, a license for people selling bullets and purchasing data submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. Newsom’s measures also require ... more Photo: Gary S Chapman, Getty Images Image 4 of 12 | False reports of stolen guns Signed: AB1695, which makes falsely reporting a gun as stolen a misdemeanor, aimed to discourage straw purchasers of guns, who may claim a gun was stolen if law enforcement have found it to be used in a crime. Signed: AB1695, which makes falsely reporting a gun as stolen a misdemeanor, aimed to discourage straw purchasers of guns, who may claim a gun was stolen if law enforcement have found it to be used in a crime. Photo: Contributed Photo Image 5 of 12 | Lending of firearms Signed: AB1511, which would remove the exemption for "persons who are personally known to each other" from the lending of firearms without the use of a licensed firearms dealer. Family members would still be exempt for going through a dealer. less Signed: AB1511, which would remove the exemption for "persons who are personally known to each other" from the lending of firearms without the use of a licensed firearms dealer. Family members would still be ... more Photo: Robin Skjoldborg/Getty Images Image 6 of 12 | Stolen guns Vetoed: AB1176, which would have made it a felony to steal a gun or buy a stolen gun, regardless of its value. (Vetoed because of similarity to a proposed law on the November ballot) 
 
 Vetoed: AB1176, which would have made it a felony to steal a gun or buy a stolen gun, regardless of its value. (Vetoed because of similarity to a proposed law on the November ballot) Image 7 of 12 | Firearms frames and parts Vetoed: AB1673, the bill would have redefined the word "firearm" as it pertains to the possession or transfer of guns to add that "a frame or receiver as that part of a firearm which provides housing for the hammer, bolt, or breechblock, and firing mechanism, and which is usually threaded at its forward portion to receive the barrel, and would include within this definition a frame or receiver blank, casting, or machined body that requires further machining or molding to be used as part of a functional weapon so long as it has been designed and is clearly identifiable as being used exclusively as part of a functional weapon." less Vetoed: AB1673, the bill would have redefined the word "firearm" as it pertains to the possession or transfer of guns to add that "a frame or receiver as that part of a firearm which provides housing for the ... more Photo: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images Image 8 of 12 | Expanding limits on firearm purchases within 30 days Vetoed: AB1674 would have made it illegal to purchase or transfer more than one firearm, including rifles and shotguns within 30 days. Vetoed: AB1674 would have made it illegal to purchase or transfer more than one firearm, including rifles and shotguns within 30 days. Photo: Yves Adams Image 9 of 12 | Firearms restraining orders Vetoed: AB2607, the bill would have expanded people who can file firearm restraining orders from the courts to "an employer, a coworker, a mental health worker who has seen the person as a patient in the last 6 months, or an employee of a secondary or postsecondary school that the person has attended in the last 6 months to file a petition for an ex parte, one-year, or renewed gun violence restraining order." less Vetoed: AB2607, the bill would have expanded people who can file firearm restraining orders from the courts to "an employer, a coworker, a mental health worker who has seen the person as a patient in the last 6 ... more Photo: Tetra Images / Getty Images Image 10 of 12 | Stolen gun reporting Vetoed: SB894, the bill would have required "every person, with exceptions, to report the theft or loss of a firearm he or she owns or possesses to a local law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction in which the theft or loss occurred within 5 days of the time he or she knew or reasonably should have known that the firearm had been stolen or lost, and requires every person who has reported a firearm lost or stolen to notify the local law enforcement agency within 48 hours if the firearm is subsequently recovered." less Vetoed: SB894, the bill would have required "every person, with exceptions, to report the theft or loss of a firearm he or she owns or possesses to a local law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction in which ... more Photo: Jeff Roberson, STF / Associated Press Image 11 of 12 Gov. Jerry Brown, left, discusses a bill under consideration for his signature with Tom Dyer, his chief deputy legislative affairs secretary Thursday, June 30, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. Brown spent his day reviewing some of the dozens of pieces of legislation approved by lawmakers before they left for a one month summer vacation. The governor is expected to act on several gun control measures approved by lawmakers in the next few days. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) less Gov. Jerry Brown, left, discusses a bill under consideration for his signature with Tom Dyer, his chief deputy legislative affairs secretary Thursday, June 30, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. Brown spent his day ... more Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Image 12 of 12 FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2012, file photo, a variety of military-style semi-automatic rifles obtained during a buy back program are displayed at Los Angeles police headquarters. Gov. Jerry Brown signed six stringent gun-control measures Friday, July 1, 2016, that will require people to turn in high-capacity magazines and require background checks for ammunition sales, as California Democrats seek to strengthen gun laws that are already among the strictest in the nation. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) less FILE - In this Dec. 27, 2012, file photo, a variety of military-style semi-automatic rifles obtained during a buy back program are displayed at Los Angeles police headquarters. Gov. Jerry Brown signed six ... more Photo: Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press Gov. Jerry Brown signs 6 gun-control bills, vetoes 5 1 / 12 Back to Gallery 
 
 SACRAMENTO — It will soon be harder to buy ammunition in California and illegal to own magazine clips that hold more than 10 rounds under a suite of gun-control bills Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law on Friday. 
 
 Brown signed six bills and vetoed five, actions that will nonetheless build upon the state’s arsenal of gun control laws aimed at curtailing mass shootings and keeping weapons and ammunition away from the wrong people. California already has the strictest gun laws in the nation. 
 
 Many of the 11 gun bills that landed on the governor’s desk this week were crafted in response to the mass shooting in San Bernardino in December, and got a boost of urgency following the mass shooting in an Orlando nightclub last month. 
 
 The new laws include SB880 by Sen. Isadore Hall III, D-Compton (Los Angeles County), and Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, which expands the definition of assault weapon to include specified guns with military-style features capable of accepting any type of detachable magazine. Another bill signed by the governor bans so-called “bullet buttons,” a tool developed by gun manufacturers that allows magazines to easily detach for rapid replacement. 
 
 Brown also signed SB1446 by Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, which makes it illegal to possess magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The sale or manufacturing of large-capacity magazines was already illegal in the state. 
 
 Among the vetoes was the only bill with bipartisan support, AB1176, which would have authorized a ballot measure asking voters to make it a felony to steal a gun or buy a stolen gun, regardless of its value. 
 
 The new restrictions led by California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature come on the heels of gridlock over gun control laws in Congress, where House Democrats staged a sit-in to protest last month. 
 
 “My goal in signing these bills is to enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” Brown said in a signing message Friday. 
 
 All of the bills except AB1176 were opposed by Republicans and gun rights advocates. 
 
 “These are constitutionally illegitimate laws passed by a patently illegitimate government that had the audacity to attack and criminalize millions of its own people in Stalin-esque fashion,” said Brandon Combs, president of the Firearms Policy Coalition, a gun rights group. 
 
 Whether Californians want the state’s gun-control laws to go further will be left to voters in the fall. 
 
 Brown said he vetoed AB1176, the gun-theft felony bill, because it is nearly identical to parts of Proposition 63, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “Safety for All” ballot initiative, which will appear on the November ballot. 
 
 But the governor signed SB1235, the ammunition background check bill, which also overlapped with Newsom’s ballot measure. SB1235 requires background checks for people buying ammunition, a license for people selling bullets and purchasing data submitted to the state Department of Justice. Newsom’s measure also requires background checks, vendor licensing and data sharing on ammunition purchases, although regulated differently. 
 
 Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, urged Newsom to withdraw his measure while the Legislature worked to pass the gun control legislation. Newsom declined before Thursday’s deadline to remove measures from the fall ballot. 
 
 De León’s ammunition bill, SB1235, however, was amended recently so that if signed by the governor, as it was Friday, parts of it would supersede Newsom’s ammunition proposal should voters approve it. 
 
 Newsom’s ballot measure still contains several gun control provisions that the gun lobby is fighting, including requiring gun owners to report when their firearm is lost or stolen. 
 
 “Voters will finally have a chance to take matters into their own hands and keep the momentum going with bold reforms that build on these achievements and go well beyond,” Newsom said in a statement. 
 
 Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez 
 
 Gun bills signed: 
 
 SB1235: Requires background checks for people who want to purchase ammunition, licenses for sellers of ammunition and sales data to be collected. 
 
 SB880: Expands the definition of “assault weapon.” 
 
 AB1511: Limits who a gun owner can lend their firearm to. 
 
 SB1446: Prohibits the possession of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. 
 
 AB1135: Bans so-called “bullet buttons,” a tool developed by gun manufacture r s that allows magazines to easily detach. 
 
 AB1695: Makes it a misdemeanor to make a false report to law enforcement that a firearm has been lost or stolen. 
 
 Gun bills vetoed: 
 
 AB1176: Would have asked voters to make it a felony to steal a gun or buy a stolen gun, regardless of value. 
 
 AB1673: Would have expanded the definition of firearm to include parts that could be used to make a firearm. 
 
 AB1674: Would have made it illegal to purchase or transfer more than one firearm, including rifles and shotguns, within 30 days. 
 
 AB2607: Would have expanded who can seek a gun-violence restraining order to temporarily prohibit a person from purchasing a gun or ammunition. 
 
 SB894: Would have made it a crime for gun owners to fail to report a firearm as lost or stolen within five days.
– A 21-year-old former Stanford student killed his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend and then himself with a "ghost gun," say police. That phrase refers to a firearm that has no serial number, and the two "ghost guns" found on the scene in Walnut Creek, Calif., were homemade firearms built with parts bought online, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Police say Scott Bertics shot and killed Clare Orton on July 21 at her home; the 19-year-old was on summer break from San Diego State University, the Mercury News reports. There was no serial number on either gun found at the scene. (The Chronicle notes that lower receivers on homemade guns normally bear the numbers, though "incomplete ones can be bought as just simple pieces of metal.") Yesterday police revealed the firearms had been built by Bertics—an engineering major who took a leave of absence from Stanford in the fall—using parts he ordered off the Internet. A person "can buy 80% of a gun" online, says Lt. Lanny Edwards, who added there is no evidence Bertics did anything illegal to get the parts. The Chronicle points out that California Gov. Jerry Brown last year vetoed a bill that would have required any gun part sold online to have a serial number and background checks for anyone buying those parts, saying he didn't believe the bill would "significantly advance public safety." Police have so far not identified a motive in the killing of Orton; the two last dated in 2013, the Mercury News reports.