California Democrats have revived a gun control bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated he is eager to sign.
Senate Bill 2 will update firearm regulations largely in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v Bruen, which invalidated substantive portions of gun control laws in multiple states, including California.
The ruling also barred state officials from requiring concealed carry applicants to provide a reason for needing to carry a firearm in public. California may no longer disqualify an individual for a reason that is provided.
The new law will make changes to concealed carry restrictions, impose new licensing fees, add age restrictions, create storage mandates, and restrict where individuals can carry in public.
Newsom hailed the bill’s passage as a win, saying, “We’re using every tool we can to make our streets and neighborhoods safer from gun violence,” in a statement posted to his office’s website.
Earlier this year, Newsom said with “absolute confidence and expectation, I will be signing this legislation.”
The new law will require anyone seeking to carry a firearm in public to be over the age of 21. It will also mandate 16 hours of training and prohibit permit holders from being able to carry a firearm into certain prohibited places, including schools, courts, government buildings, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, urgent care facilities, parks, playgrounds, public transportation, or numerous other locations where people typically congregate.
Given the broad nature of the legislation — the expansive list of “prohibited places” where people would not be allowed to carry — legal challenges will likely be swift.
Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, says that his organization is planning to bring a lawsuit the same day Newsom signs it into law.
“We know what we have to do and we’re ready to do it,” Paredes told the Sacramento Bee during an interview. “Ultimately, this bill will never see the light of day as a statute in the state of California.”
