SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Thursday that the governor signed into law a slew of gun violence prevention laws aimed at school campus safety, accessibility and regulation of sales.
“California has the toughest gun safety laws in the nation, but none of us can afford to be complacent in tackling the gun violence crisis ravaging our country,” Newsom said in a release. “These new measures will help keep children safe at school, keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and responsibly regulate the sale of firearms in our communities. California will continue to lead on lifesaving polices [sic] that provide a model for action by other states and the nation.”
The newly signed bills are as follows:
- Assembly Bill 228 — Requires the Department of Justice to conduct inspections of dealers at least every three years, except for a dealer whose place of business is located in a jurisdiction that has adopted an inspection program. This begins Jan. 1, 2024.
- Assembly Bill 311 — Prohibits the sale of gun parts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Southern California.
- Assembly Bill 1769 — Bans sale of any firearm, part or ammunition at the Ventura County Fair and Event Center
- Assembly Bill 1842 — Prohibits licensed firearms dealers from charging more than 5% of what the firearm was originally sold as a fee for when trying to cancel the purchase of the firearm within 10 days of the application, with an exception for special order firearms.
- Assembly Bill 2156 — Increases limitations for manufacturing firearms without a state license. This includes reducing the number of guns a person may make without a license and bans the use of a 3-D printer to make any firearm without a license.
- Assembly Bill 2239 — Anyone convicted of child or elder abuse is prohibited from possessing a firearm for a 10-year-period.
- Senate Bill 906 —Local educational agencies will be required to provide parents with information about the state’s laws relating to safely storing firearms and laws related to preventing children access to firearms. Schools will also be required to report to law enforcement any threat or perceived threat of a homicidal act. On top of that, law enforcement or the school police will be required to conduct an investigation and threat assessment. That would include a review of the Department of Justice’s firearm registry and a search of the school and/or student’s property if certain conditions are met.
- Senate Bill 915 — Prohibits the sale of firearms, parts and ammunition on state property.
The bills signed Thursday come after Newsom earlier this month signed legislation into law that would allow lawsuits against gunmakers and distributors after gun violence, a response to the United States Supreme Court ruling that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.
Newsom’s office also boasted its success in lowering gun-related deaths, citing a 2021 Giffords Law Center study that showed the state saw a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average.
“As a result of the actions taken by California, the state has cut its gun death rate in half and Californians are 25 percent less likely to die in a mass shooting compared to people in other states,” Newsom’s office said, citing a Public Policy Institute of California study that states while homicides have gone up recent years, mass shooting rates have remained the same since 2013.
https://www.kcra.com/article/newsom-signs-laws-tighten-california-gun-regulation/40684599