California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of gun control laws that will ban carrying firearms in public and double taxes on guns and ammunition sold in the Golden State.
“I think this is a pretty modest investment in prevention and reducing those costs, ultimately,” Newsom said after signing the laws. “The carnage, it’s too much. We can’t normalize it, we can’t accept it. This is a small price to pay.”
On top of the current 10% to 11% federal tax on guns and ammunition, under the new law Californians will need to pay an additional 11% state tax. The law makes California the sole state to have a specific state tax on firearm purchases, but exempts police officers and small businesses selling less than $5,000 worth of guns and ammunition every three months.
Funds raised by the tax are earmarked for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program as well as the state Department of Education. Officials hope to use the money to pay for security installations at government schools, gun violence prevention programs, and initiatives to steer at-risk youth away from gangs.
A separate law signed by Newsom revises California’s rules for concealed carry permits by banning people from carrying guns in most public spaces. Gun owners will be prohibited from carrying their firearms at public parks and playgrounds, public demonstrations and gatherings, churches, and “any other privately owned commercial establishment that is open to the public” unless the owner explicitly allows guns in their facility.
Gun advocacy groups have already said they plan to challenge the new laws in court. “These laws will not make us safer,” contended Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association. “They are an unconstitutional retaliatory and vindictive response to the Supreme Court’s affirmation that the Second Amendment protects an individuals’ right to choose to own a firearm for sport or to defend your family.”
Newsom said his administration feels “very strongly” that the laws meet standards established by the Supreme Court for firearms regulation but admitted the statutes might not survive the court system. “It may mean nothing if the federal courts are throwing them out,” he said. “I’m not naive about the recklessness of the federal courts and the ideological agenda.”
