California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills with intentions to diffuse the state’s gun violence issues on Sept. 26. California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated in a post on X that Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 2 and Assembly Bills 1406 and 1420.
Bonta stated Senate Bill 2 strengthens the requirements to carry a concealed weapon in California.
He also stated Assembly Bill 1406 requires officers to carry tasers on the side of their body opposite to their primary firearm, and AB 1420 allows the Department of Justice to conduct inspections and assess fines for violations relating to the sale or trade of firearms.
Greg Woods, justice studies senior lecturer at San José State, said the bills can spark up a national conversation about gun violence.
“It might not have any effect, but at least it might introduce ... on a national level, the epidemic of gun violence that we’re suffering and whatever we can do to eliminate that,” Woods said. “We should entertain those questions.”
Every three hours, a Californian is killed with a gun, according to Gun Violence and Data Research published by Bonta. State citizens are also more likely to die if they own a handgun or live with a handgun owner.
Furthermore, Newsom signed the bills shortly after at least 104 people died from shootings across the nation in a span of 72 hours, according to the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
Woods said if particular laws are challenged in the lower courts, it would be presumed unconstitutional. He said SB 2 can possibly take away an individual’s right to keep and bear arms.
The United States government has multiple court systems. Lower courts are defined by state courts whereas the Supreme Court acts as the higher courts.
Political science professor James C. Brent said the Supreme Court turned down certain gun regulations over the past decade, similar to SB 2.
According to an NBC news article, the New York Pistol and Rifle Association v. Bruen, for example, was a case in which the state of New York sent out a law banning people from carrying weapons outside of their home and the New York Pistol and Rifle Association challenged it. The case was concluded unconstitutional because it took away the right to keep and bear arms for certain individuals.
The state of New York sent out a law banning people from carrying weapons outside of their home and the New York Pistol and Rifle Association challenged it, according to the article.
“The way that they've written it is sort of trying to be circumscribed and getting around that Supreme Court decision,” Brent said.
Brent said changing the minimum age requirement to purchase a gun and banning them in public areas was a way to “change the language.”
Woods said the bill bans people from carrying a concealed weapon in certain places, such as government buildings, schools and hospitals.
It also makes the minimum age to buy a gun 21. It was previously 18, according to a webpage from Legiscan.
Business graduate Ryan Reuben said he remembers the gun violence issue having to do with mainly gang members as a child. However, gun violence today is not only recurrent in gangs, but in mass shootings where innocent lives are lost.
Reuban said SB 2 will not solve the gun violence problem, instead it will increase the illegal sale of guns and gun shows could start selling firearms at a cheaper price.
He also said the government’s attempt to restrict guns is similar to its attempt to limit drug use because people will still buy products through illegal means.
“For the most part, smokers gotta smoke,” Brent said. “Gun owners gotta own guns apparently.”
Rueben said banning guns from certain public areas, such as parks and government buildings, puts people more at risk of losing their lives if they cannot protect themselves.
Rueben works as a security guard and said that people often get away with sneaking items into places.
He said if someone were to start shooting, people who carry guns as protection will have the option to protect themselves and others.
“You have a chance to stop something before it gets worse,” Reuben said.
Woods said AB 1406 will not reduce gun violence as whole, rather it will prevent accidental killings by officers.
He said in recent years, police officers have argued that they mistook their taser as a gun in court when being charged for murder on the job.
He said the bill, as a response, makes it harder for officers to grab the wrong weapon when approaching a suspected criminal in an unsafe scene.
“What this bill is calculated to do is to save lives,” Woods said.
Brent said he is not sure if the purpose of creating AB 1420, which allows stricter inspection on gun-owners, is unconstitutional.
He said the Supreme Court consistently turns down any encounter with laws pertaining to gun regulation, which can apply to the bill.
Brent said bills signed by governors usually go into effect on Jan. 1 and sometimes June 1. He said they can be prevented from doing so if anyone challenges them with a lawsuit.
Reuben said he’s concerned about the future of his family if gun violence continues to be an issue.
“If I have a kid, that's like a whole different situation,” Reuben said. “I'm not even trying to play games with that if I have a family.”
