Two new laws regulating gun control in California were signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday. The laws prohibit people from carrying firearms in most public places and doubles the taxes on guns and ammunition sold in the state.
The federal government currently taxes gun and ammunition sales at a rate of 10% or 11%. The new law adds another 11% tax to sales. This makes California the only state with a separate tax on guns and ammunition, according to Brady, a gun control advocacy organization.
The money generated from gun and ammunition sales will fund several different programs in California. The first $75 million will go towards funding the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program.
$50 million generated from taxes will go towards increased security at public schools. The money will fund physical security improvements, after-school programs and mental and behavioral health services for students, teachers and other employees.
The new law prohibits people from carrying guns in 26 places, such as public parks, public demonstrations and gatherings, amusement parks, churches, banks, zoos and “any other privately owned commercial establishment that is open to the public," according to the bill.
According to the AP, the California Rifle and Pistol Association sued to block one of the new laws that was signed on Tuesday that prevents people from carrying guns in most public spaces.
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Last year the Biden administration passed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It created a $750 million funding pot to incentivize states to create "red flag laws." It closed the "boyfriend loophole" by adding convicted domestic violence abusers in dating relationships to the national criminal background check system. It clarified the definition of a "federally licensed firearm dealer," making it a federal crime to traffic in firearms. It also stiffened penalties for "straw purchases" made on behalf of people who aren’t allowed to own guns. Background check procedures for buyers under 21 stiffened as well.
In 2021, for the second straight year, gun deaths reached the highest number ever recorded – nearly 49,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gun violence was the leading cause of death for children and teens and accounted for more than half of all deaths of Black teens.
Newer information suggests shootings may be decreasing. Partial, provisional CDC data shows gun homicide rates fell in 2022. So far this year, the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive has documented a 5% decrease in gun violence deaths and injuries, said Mark Bryant, executive director.
Mass shootings are also on the rise this year. Halfway through 2023, the nation has seen more mass killings at the end of June than in any other year since at least 2006, according to a mass killings database by USA TODAY, The Associated Press and Northeastern University.
Grace Hauck and AP News contributed to this reporting