California Governor Newsom signed more than 20 new gun laws out of the 44 bills on September 24, further strengthening California’s leading gun control regulations to prevent mass violence, gun violence, and domestic violence incidents.
Newsom stated, “California will not wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting occurs to take action. In the absence of action by Congress, California once again leads the nation by enhancing our leading gun laws.”
“The data shows that California’s gun safety laws are effective in preventing gun-related deaths, which should condemn the continued inaction and obstruction by politicians under the control of gun lobbying groups,” he said.
In a press release, Newsom’s office listed the impacts of the new gun control laws: protecting children from accessing and being harmed by guns; strengthening the “red flag law” to restrict gun usage, prevent dangerous individuals from possessing guns, and combat hate crimes; protecting victims of domestic abuse; restricting gun ownership for animal abusers; increasing information sharing to make it easier for courts to prevent dangerous individuals from having guns.
California’s “red flag law” allows a judge to order the confiscation or temporary seizure of firearms or other items they deem dangerous if someone goes to court saying their neighbor, coworker, date, or anyone else is dangerous. Failure to comply with the order will be considered a criminal offense.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2022, California had a firearm mortality rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people, ranking seventh lowest among the 50 states and Washington DC, but with 3,484 deaths, it ranked second highest in the country.
Mississippi had the highest firearm mortality rate at 29.6% with 848 deaths, while Texas had the highest death toll at 4,630 people with a firearm mortality rate of 15.3%, ranking 27th in the U.S. Rhode Island had the lowest firearm mortality rate at 3.1% with 37 deaths.
Additionally, firearm homicide rates among individuals under 25 in California are 45% lower compared to other areas of the U.S. During the same period, youth firearm homicide rates increased by 37%, with Florida up by 24%, and Texas up by 49%.
AB2621, the “Law enforcement training” bill proposed by Democratic State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel from the 46th district, requires officers to participate in evidence presentation processes during hearings and in storage procedures for firearms seized according to gun violence restraining orders. Law enforcement agencies must provide all officers with information on standards and policies and place additional responsibilities on local agencies to create locally authorized plans by the state government.
AB2629, the “Firearms: prohibited persons” bill proposed by Democratic State Assemblymember Matt Haney from the 11th district, bars individuals adjudged mentally incompetent from possessing firearms upon release from parole or post-release community supervision.
AB2642, the “Elections: intimidation” bill presented by Democratic State Assemblymember Marc Berman from the 23rd district, prohibits intimidating, threatening, coercing, or attempting to intimidate, threaten, or coerce anyone engaged in designated election-related activities. Individuals openly carrying firearms or replica guns during specified election events will be presumed to engage in intimidation activities unless other evidence proves otherwise.
AB2759, the “Domestic violence protective orders: possession of a firearm” bill proposed by Democratic State Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris from the 73rd district, amends existing laws to clarify and broaden the court’s ruling on whether sheriff’s deputies are compliant with employment standards when carrying firearms during off-duty hours. Deputies must demonstrate the need to carry firearms after work and show it does not pose a threat to protected parties and the public.
SB965, the “Firearms” bill introduced by Democratic State Senator Dave Min from the 37th district, mandates licensed firearms dealers undergo inspections every three years starting January 1, 2024, to ensure compliance with regulations. The new law requires inspection reports to include inspector information, violations, solutions, and detailed handgun roster-related information. Reports expiring by July 1, 2025, must encompass information from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2024, and subsequent annual reports must include information from the previous year.
SB1019, the “Firearms: destruction” bill proposed by Democratic State Senator Catherine Blakespear from the 38th district, requires law enforcement agencies to destroy firearms held by them that are confiscated, seized, abandoned, unclaimed, or surrendered. The new law specifically mandates the destruction of entire firearms by melting, shredding, crushing, or cutting all components (including accessories) unless a destruction contract was signed with another party or entity before November 1, 2024.