On Friday, October 11, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Democrat, signed 15 gun-related bills into law, further tightening the state’s already-stringent Second Amendment restrictions. The laws will take effect Jan. 1, 2020.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its state affiliate, the California Rifle and Pistol Association, oppose the new laws. (Los Angeles Times)

The 15 new gun control laws include:

• 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. Note that this bill had been vetoed twice by Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown. Even the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposes this law because AB 61 “poses a significant threat to civil liberties” in that a restraining order can be sought before a gun owner has an opportunity to dispute the request, and because those making a request under the new law may “lack the relationship or skills required to make an appropriate assessment.” (Fox News)


• 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.

• 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 5 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.

• 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.

There’s a petition to recall Gov. Newsom. To sign, go here.