Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Celebrate Historic Legislative Session in California and Urge Governor Gavin Newsom to Sign Gun Safety Measures Into Law 

Since the Start of Session, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers have  Rallied, Testified, and Sent over 20,000 Emails and Made Over 2,000 Calls Urging Lawmakers to Pass Gun Violence Prevention Legislation  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement after lawmakers in both chambers closed the legislative session with key wins for gun safety, including several first-in-the-nation bills building on California’s commitment to ending gun violence. 

“It is because of the tireless work of our grassroots army, in lockstep with gun sense champions, that California is the national leader when it comes to the strength of its gun safety laws. Whether it’s attending hundreds of lawmaker meetings, rallying at the State Capitol, or testifying at hearings, our volunteers have championed these bills every step of the way,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action. “We are grateful for the leadership of California lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom, and urge them to continue the state’s legacy of exemplifying how to fight against gun violence by cementing common-sense and life-saving measures into law.” 

“California continues to lead by example – demonstrating how strong gun laws work and advancing measures to comprehensively tackle every stage of the gun violence crisis,” said Cassandra Whetstone, a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We are grateful to our gun sense champions in the legislature for their commitment to ending gun violence and look forward to working with Governor Gavin Newsom to turn these measures into law.” 

Here’s Every Major Gun Safety Bill on The Way to the Governor’s Desk: 

Transformational Funding For Community Violence Intervention, School Safety, and Gun Violence Prevention Programs

• AB 28 (Gabriel) – first-in-the-nation legislation to establish the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund to create a permanent funding source outside the state budget for life-saving programs, including the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant program, school safety programs, court-based firearm relinquishment programs, grant programs supporting equitable improvements to firearm homicide investigations, trauma-informed support services for mass shooting victims, and more.

Promoting Responsible Gun Ownership 

• SB 2 (Portantino) – legislation to address the dangerous conditions created by the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen by strengthening California’s laws about who can carry a gun in public, what types of training are required to carry a gun in public, how law enforcement vets applicants for concealed carry permits, and where they can bring their guns. 
• SB 417 (Blakespear) – legislation to educate consumers about the risks of firearm ownership, and the availability of resources for people who are in crisis and may consider harming themselves or others. 
• AB 574 (Jones-Sawyer) – legislation requiring dealer records of sale to include confirmation that the purchaser has checked and confirmed possession of all their firearms within the past 30 days.

Addressing Irresponsible  Gun Industry Practices 

• SB 452 (Blakespear) – legislation that will ensure California’s microstamping law is finally and fully implemented, requiring that firearms sold in California incorporate technology which can help solve crime, stop retaliatory cycles of violence, and bring closure for survivors.
• AB 1420 (Berman) – legislation strengthening implementation of existing firearm dealer requirements by expanding California Department of Justice’s authority to inspect firearm dealers for compliance with all applicable state laws and regulations
• SB 241 (Min) – legislation requiring firearm dealers to train employees on how to avoid selling guns that fuel crime using a new training program which will be developed by the California Department of Justice

Supporting Community Violence Intervention

• AB 762 (Wicks) – legislation which makes the life-saving California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant program a permanent program and updates its eligibility criteria.

Keeping Guns Out Of The Hands Of People Posing a Serious Risk to Public Safety

• AB 301 (Bauer-Kahan) – first-in-the-nation legislation to add acquisition of body armor to the list of factors a court may consider when evaluating whether to issue a gun violence restraining order.
• AB 1587 (Ting) – first-in-the-nation legislation requiring implementation of firearm retailer Merchant Category Codes, a critical step to help identify suspicious firearm purchasing activity indicative of mass shooting preparation or firearm trafficking.
• AB 732 (Fong) – legislation to strengthen California’s firearm relinquishment procedures after convictions prohibiting a person from owning a gun and ensure that state and local law enforcement agencies communicate regularly about removing illegal guns when a person becomes prohibited from possessing firearms.

Blocking Illegal Gun Access

• AB 1089 (Gipson) – legislation to strengthen and update California’s ghost gun laws to better prevent extremists and people prohibited from possessing firearms from making homemade guns with CNC milling machines and 3-D printers to get around California’s strong background check laws.
• AB 1483 (Valencia) – legislation to narrow the legal exemption that allows individuals to purchase more than one firearm per month in a private party transaction.

In an average year, 3,253 people die and 7,293 are wounded by guns in California. California ranks 45th in both  gun death rates and societal cost of gun violence at $1,060 per person each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost California $41.9 billion, of which $1.1 billion is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in California is available here.