Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Gun Violence Prevention Legislation

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Category: California News

Sacramento, California - Building on budget investments in gun violence prevention, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a package of 15 bills aimed at strengthening gun violence protections. The bills strengthen gun violence restraining orders, regulate ghost guns to mitigate the use of untraceable firearms by criminals, and will prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunitions at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the County of San Diego, the City of Del Mar and the City of San Diego starting next year.

“Gun violence is an epidemic in this country, one that’s been enflamed by the inaction of politicians in Washington,” said Governor Newsom. “While Washington has refused to act on even the most basic gun safety reforms, California is once again leading the nation in passing meaningful gun safety reforms.” 

“California continues to be a leader in fighting the threat of gun violence,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence. “The legislative package Governor Newsom signed today will help make California safer for all who call it home, and it shows the nation what committed, active, and thoughtful leadership on gun safety looks like. Giffords is proud to have played a strong role in helping craft this package and to have partnered with Governor Newsom, the legislature's gun violence working group, and so many other courageous leaders in California to push these bills to become law.”

The bills signed today by Governor Newsom include the following: 

Strengthening gun violence restraining orders 

  • AB 12 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) extends the duration of a gun violence restraining order (GVRO) to a maximum of five years.
  • AB 61 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) allows an employer, coworker, or an employee or teacher to file a petition requesting a gun violence restraining order.
  • AB 164 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) holds any person subject to a valid restraining order, injunction, or protective order issued out of state to the same restrictions on buying or possessing firearms in California as they are under in the state where the order or injunction is operative.
  • AB 339 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) requires law enforcement agencies to develop and adopt written policies and standards regarding the use of gun violence restraining orders.
  • AB 1493 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) authorizes a person who is the subject of a gun violence restraining order to petition to submit a form to the court voluntarily relinquishing their firearm rights. 

Regulating firearms sales 

  • SB 61 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) prohibits the sale of a semiautomatic centerfire rifle to any person under 21 years of age, and applications to purchase more than one semiautomatic centerfire rifle in any 30-day period, with a few exceptions.
  • SB 376 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) prevents individuals from selling large numbers of firearms without a license by capping the number of annual sales at five transactions or 50 firearms.
  • AB 645 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) requires packaging for firearms to contain a warning statement on suicide prevention.
  • AB 879 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) requires, starting in 2024, that the sale of firearms precursor parts be conducted through a licensed firearms precursor part vendor.
  • AB 1669 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) updates existing law by applying the same gun show regulations that already apply to firearms dealers to ammunition vendors, and ensures that sufficient funding is available for firearm regulatory efforts.
  • AB 1297 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) requires any local authority issuing concealed firearm licenses to charge an applicant a fee sufficient to cover the reasonable costs of processing, issuing and enforcement of the license, and eliminates the existing $100 limit on processing fees for concealed firearm licenses.
  • AB 893 by Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) prohibits the sale of firearms and ammunitions at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the County of San Diego, the City of Del Mar, the City of San Diego. 

Additional legislation 

  • AB 1548 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) codifies the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program to improve the physical security of nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of violent attacks or hate crimes due to ideology, beliefs, or mission.
  • AB 1603 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) codifies the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program to help reduce violence in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence.
  • AB 521 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) requires, with the adoption of a resolution by the University of California, the UC Firearm Violence Research Center at the University of California, Davis to develop multifaceted education and training programs for medical and mental health providers on the prevention of firearm-related injury and death. 

In the 2019-20 state budget, Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature made significant investments in gun violence prevention, security for hate-crime targets, and gun safety measures. The budget triples funding for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, which funds support services such as community education, diversion programs, outreach to at-risk transitional age youth and violence reduction models. The budget also secures long-term funding for the Firearm Violence Research Center at the University of California, Davis to circumvent NRA-backed federal limits on research. Previously, the Governor signed AB 1292 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) which specifies circumstances following the death of a firearm owner, and circumstances in which a person takes a gun from someone committing a crime against them, which allow a firearm to be transferred from one person to another by operation of law without the need to go through a firearms dealer. 

In total, the Governor signed the following gun-related bills:

  • AB 12 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Firearms: gun violence restraining orders.
  • AB 61 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) – Gun violence restraining orders.
  • AB 164 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) – Firearms: prohibited persons.
  • AB 339 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Gun violence restraining orders: law enforcement procedures
  • AB 521 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) – Physicians and surgeons: firearms: training.
  • AB 645 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Firearms: warning statements.
  • AB 879 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) – Firearms.
  • AB 893 by Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) – 22nd District Agricultural Association: firearm and ammunition sales at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
  • AB 1297 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – Firearms: concealed carry license.
  • AB 1493 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) – Gun violence restraining order: petition.
  • AB 1548 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
  • AB 1603 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) – California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program.
  • AB 1669 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) – Firearms: gun shows and events.
  • SB 61 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) – Firearms: transfers.
  • SB 376 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) – Firearms: transfers.

The Legislature also passed the following resolution, not requiring the Governor’s signature:

  • AJR 4 by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) – Firearms.