California braces for new gun laws taking effect in 2025
Vice President Kamala Harris is joining with President Biden in calling for stricter gun laws following a mass shooting at the Abundance Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin that left three people dead, including the shooter, and several more injured.
In a statement the current Vice President and former CA Senator Kamala Harris spoke on the events in Madison.
"Doug and I are mourning the student and teacher who were killed and we are praying for all those who were injured, including those who remain hospitalized," Harris said. "We are also thinking of the young people and families who have had their lives forever changed by this act of gun violence."
Harris issued similar sentiments to President Biden, mentioning the previous mass shooting in Newtown, CT happening 12 years ago.
“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” President Biden said in a statement.
Both Biden and Harris ended their statement with a call on congress and state lawmakers to take action in passing new gun legislation.
"Congress and state legislatures must make background checks universal, pass red flag and safe storage laws, and ban assault weapons," Harris said. "These commonsense solutions will save lives and make our children and communities safer."
In early December, a school shooting at the Feather River Adventist School in Oroville, CA left two children critically injured. The gunman was found dead at the scene from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound when law enforcement responded
Back in September, 2024 CA Governor Newsome signed legislation aimed at reducing gun violence and preventing mass shootings.
"Governor Newsom today signed a bipartisan legislative package to further reinforce California’s nation-leading gun laws and prevent traumatic incidents of mass violence," a press release from Newsome reads. "The laws build on California’s successful strategies to address gun violence, including new measures to reduce domestic violence."
In 2025, several new gun laws will go into effect in California.
AB 2917 This bill would require the court to additionally consider a recent threat of violence or act of violence directed toward another group or location in deciding to issue a restraining order to prevent a person from purchasing a firearm or ammunition.
AB 574 This bill would, beginning on March 1, 2025, additionally require the register or record to include the acknowledgment by the purchaser or transferee that they have, within the past 30 days, confirmed possession of every firearm that they own or possess.
AB 1598 This bill would require firearm dealers to provide safety pamphlets to gun buyers explaining the reasons for and risks of owning a firearm.
The shooter at the Abundance Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin has been identified by law enforcement as Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old female student who attended the school. Police say she used a 9mm pistol in the shooting.
The Gun Control Act is a federal law prohibiting people under the age of 18 from owning a firearm.
AB 1483 is a bill that would eliminate the private party transaction exemption from the prohibition on purchasing more than one firearm within a 30-day period. It was knocked down by the Supreme Court earlier in the year, but is still listed as one of the new laws going into effect in 2025. News Channel 3 reached out to the California Attorney General's Office for clarification, and received the following response Wednesday morning.
The Supreme Court has not struck down California’s law limiting firearm purchases to one firearm per every 30-day period, which is codified at Penal Code sections 27535 and 27540(f). AB 1483 amended section 27535 by extending the limitation to private-party transactions, which will go into effect in 2025. However, a federal district court enjoined the one-gun-per-month law, and the case is pending before the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit has allowed the district court’s injunction to remain in place during the appeal, enjoining enforcement of the one-gun-per-month law, but the Ninth Circuit has not yet issued a decision on the merits regarding the constitutionality of Penal Code sections 27535 and 27540(f). In the meantime, DOJ will continue to comply with the district court’s injunction and not enforce those statutes, including AB 1483’s amendments to section 27535.
Email from the Spokesperson for the Attorney General
on 12/18
You can find more thorough information on California laws governing common possession and use of firearms by persons other than law enforcement officers or members of the armed forces at this link.
