On the 26th of September, California governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a total of 23 gun control laws.
Concealed carry in nearly all public places has been banned. This includes private property without express permission of the owner. They have also doubled the training time for concealed carry licenses, raised the minimum age for carry to 21, imposed an 11% excise tax on all legally purchased firearms and ammunition, banned body armor for all private citizens, extended the existing 10-day waiting period to a maximum of 30 days, mandated microstamping technology for all semiautomatic firearms, required retailers to use “merchant category codes” to track all sales at firearm and ammunition dealers, and more.
According to Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni and District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, these new laws are pointless.
Fox News says that, “Both officials argued that the law doesn’t penalize those who commit the majority of gun crimes — those who have illegally obtained firearms.”
A signing ceremony in Sacramento alongside lawmakers and gun control advocates took place. Newsom said California would resist legal efforts to dismantle its firearms laws and maintain its position as a national gun control leader, but called for greater federal action.
These laws limit who can obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm and are already facing a legal challenge from gun rights advocates.
They also detail more than two dozen “sensitive places” that are off-limits to firearms, such as child care centers and schools, public transit, banks, museums, zoos, medical facilities, parks, playgrounds and bars. The bill also includes a controversial provision that renders commercial businesses gun-free zones unless the owner explicitly says otherwise.
Licensing authorities, namely sheriff’s departments, will now be required to conduct in-person interviews with applicants, request character references and review publicly available statements such as social media posts to determine whether someone is a public safety risk and therefore a “disqualified” person.
The law also increases training and safety storage rules and as mentioned, requires concealed-carry applicants to be 21, the same age required in California to buy a handgun.
Some people believe the new laws that were signed by Gavin Newsome will make a significant impact on public safety and the regulation of firearms. Californians will see where these actions will lead us in the future.
