Newsom signs California gun-safety bill package

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a group of California gun-safety bills on Sept. 26, adding laws that address several points in the state’s firearm-violence prevention system. The package covers protective-order enforcement, firearm storage, state reporting, training, research, youth services and emerging firearm technology.

In a Sept. 27 statement, the governor’s office highlighted support from legislators, survivors and gun-safety advocates. The laws range from changes in how information reaches the state Department of Justice to the creation of a state office focused on community violence intervention.

Prevention, storage and firearm surrender

Two measures by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani of San Francisco focus on situations in which a person may pose a danger or face a crisis. AB 1753 is intended to ensure that firearms and ammunition are surrendered when someone presents a danger. AB 1974 establishes a voluntary option for temporarily storing firearms outside the home during a crisis.

Stefani said the measures give Californians ways to act before gun violence occurs. One addresses surrender requirements, while the other creates an option for a gun owner or household seeking temporary storage away from the home.

AB 2047, called the California Firearm Printing Prevention Act, addresses 3D-printed firearms. Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of Orinda said such firearms can lack serial numbers and a paper trail, and that the measure is designed to stop their production before they reach communities.

State coordination and reporting

AB 2378 creates a dedicated Office of Community Violence Intervention. Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel of Encino said the office will coordinate and strengthen violence-intervention work across California. Gabriel is a co-founder of the California Legislature’s Gun Violence Working Group.

Another measure, AB 2339, changes reporting connected to people who are prohibited from possessing firearms. It focuses on cases in which someone has been involuntarily admitted to a mental health facility because that person poses a threat to themselves or others.

Assemblymember Mike Gipson of Carson said the law is intended to make that reporting more accurate, complete and timely. The information goes to the California Department of Justice and can be used in firearm background checks. Gipson worked with the attorney general on the legislation.

Youth cases and rehabilitation

AB 2636 concerns court decisions involving a young person found with a loaded firearm. Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco of Downey said the law requires judges to consider all the facts when deciding whether rehabilitation and deferred entry of judgment are appropriate.

Deferred entry of judgment can allow a court to postpone judgment while a young person completes court-ordered requirements. Pacheco described the measure as an effort to balance accountability, the circumstances that brought the young person into court and an opportunity for rehabilitation.

What the package changes

Taken together, the laws address different stages of firearm policy rather than creating one statewide program. They include identifying and understanding crime guns, preventing possession by people who are legally prohibited from having firearms, intervening when someone poses a risk, improving storage practices and supporting young survivors.

The package also directs attention to training, accountability, research and newer firearm technologies. The next steps will involve state agencies and courts putting the individual laws into practice, including establishing the new violence-intervention office and carrying out the revised reporting, surrender and storage processes.