Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed multiple gun control bills, aimed at reinforcing the state’s gun laws and expanding restrictions on firearm ownership, including penalties for gun owners whose weapons are used by children resulting in injury or death.
The new laws also focus on strengthening California’s red flag laws, allowing for temporary gun removal from individuals who commit hate crimes, as well as prohibiting firearm possession for those found guilty of animal abuse or deemed incompetent to stand trial.
The big picture: One significant provision allows courts to consider acts of stalking, animal cruelty, or threats of violence as evidence for a gun violence restraining order, extending restrictions to individuals with misdemeanor charges of mental incompetence.
- That was previously applicable only to felony charges.
- Among the new laws is a measure targeting “ghost guns,” requiring law enforcement vendors to avoid selling guns meant to be dismantled, and increasing protections for domestic violence survivors by reducing exceptions for police officers with domestic violence history to carry firearms and enforcing firearm removal from offenders.
What they’re saying: “California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act,” Newsom said in a statement. “In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws.”
