SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Whether or not you're a gun owner, some of California's newest gun laws could impact you.
Like AB 61, which allows people in a workplace or school to file a gun violence restraining order against a coworker, employee, employer, or student who's a threat to themselves or others.
"There is no magic wand that we can wave that's going to make us all safe, but we can at least bring in laws that will head us in the right direction and keep us as safe as possible," said San Diego resident, Carol Landale.
Landale is a retired teacher and volunteer with San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention.
She's encouraged by the state's new laws, including one with direct ties to San Diego.
SB 61 prevents anyone younger than 21 from buying a semiautomatic rifle, even with a hunting license. This closes a loophole that allowed the 19-year-old accused of opening fire in a Poway synagogue to purchase his weapon.
Another law raises the fee to purchase a gun to $31.19.
"The funds collected from those fees will go to enforcing the gun laws, so a responsible gun owner should have absolutely no problem with that," Landale says.
But gun-rights advocates do have serious concerns with California's new laws negatively impacting responsible gun owners.
In a statement to 10News, Michael Schwartz with the San Diego County Gun Owners PAC said:
"Despite having the most restrictive gun laws in the country, California had the most mass shootings in 2019, and there's no proof that adding to the various bans on the tools used for self-defense and sport will prevent crime. Since studies show that between 100,000 to 2 million times per year, Americans use firearms to prevent and stop a violent attack, the legislature should concentrate on the behavior of criminals and stop restricting sane, trained, law-abiding people from the normal, safe activity of owning and carrying firearms."
Some other gun laws include:
- AB 645 - Requiring suicide warning labels on gun packages and in gun stores by June 1
- SB 172 - Tougher penalties for the owner of an unlocked gun taken out of a home by a child or a "prohibited person"
- SB 61 - Also prohibits Californians from buying more than one semiautomatic rifle in a 30-day period beginning July 1, 2021
- AB 164 - A person prohibited from buying guns in another state is also prohibited from buying them in California
Landale says while their group is encouraged by California's new laws, more needs to be done on the federal level.
"What we need are strong gun laws for the entire country. I think until that happens, we're going to continue to see the death and destruction that we have been seeing the last few years," said Landale.
