By: Friedrich Seiltgen
Copyright © 2023
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a wave of new gun control bills and a new tax on guns and ammunition.
Newsom signed almost two dozen anti-2A bills, including SB 2, which bans carrying firearms in public places, and SB 452, which requires all semiautomatic pistols sold in California to use microstamping technology. It requires guns sold or transferred in the state by 2028 to etch unique identifiers on expended cartridges, and AB 28, which doubles the tax on firearms and ammunition purchased in California. The bill makes California the only state to add a separate tax on ammunition and firearms.
The new tax is an additional 11% excise on the purchase of guns and ammunition sold in the state beginning July 1, 2024, and there is an exemption for law enforcement agencies.
Newsom claimed the effectiveness of the new gun laws, stating:
“While radical judges continue to strip away our ability to keep people safe, California will keep fighting — because gun safety laws work. The data proves they save lives: California’s gun death rate is 43% lower than the rest of the nation. These new laws will make our communities and families safer.” ~ Gavin Newsom
Proponents of the measure suggest the tax is less than other state excises. It’s also seen as part of the state’s efforts to reduce gun violence.
Critics argue that the new laws infringe on their Second Amendment rights and promise court challenges. One of the main issues with California’s new firearms laws is the U.S. Supreme Court, which introduced a standard requiring firearms law to be “consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” and the recently passed laws do not meet that standard.
Federal Judge Roger Benitez also recently struck down the state high-capacity magazine ban. In his decision, Judge Benitez stated:
“The history and tradition of the Second Amendment clearly supports state laws against the use or misuse of firearms with unlawful intent, but not the disarmament of the law-abiding citizen.”
Expect several legal challenges to California’s existing gun restrictions.
That’s all for now, folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism Counterstrategies, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response.
His writing has appeared in RECOIL, www.floridajolt.com, The Counterterrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Soldier of Fortune, Homeland Security Today, Off Grid, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International.
Contact him at [email protected].