Anna Rumer

The Desert Sun

As three new gun laws go into effect Friday in California, gun purveyors worry that the well-meaning efforts of lawmakers will have a detrimental impact on society.

The most groundbreaking of these laws will allow people to obtain a 21-day restraining order barring a family member from owning guns if it is believed that they are in danger of committing a violent act.

A person concerned about the mental state of a family member will be able to make a request to police, who after investigating the claim would submit the petition for a temporary restraining order to a court. If granted, police will require the subject of the order to surrender any guns and ammunition they already have.

Determined to Kill: Can tough gun laws end mass shootings?

After 21 days, the court holds a hearing to determine if a new year-long order should be instituted.

The law was inspired by the 2014 Isla Vista shooting, during which Elliot Rogers stabbed three people to death in his apartment before committing a series of drive-by shootings that killed six and injured 14 others before he took his own life.

A month before the killlings, Rogers’ mother went to mental health professionals about violent YouTube videos Rogers posted. Police checked on Rogers, but were unable to determine whether he was a danger to himself or others.

The law also classifies a knowingly false claim as a misdemeanor, which concerns Ben Moran, general manager at Second Amendment Sports in Palm Desert, who fears that the law could be used to harass non-violent gun owners.

“I think it sounds like a good idea in theory, but unfortunately you could have a law-abiding citizen losing their guns because of a grudge,” he said, pointing out the availability of other weapons to people under the order. “It’s not going to stop anything.”

Friday also marks the expansion of the existing Gun Free School Zone Act of 1195, which prohibits a person from having a gun in a school zone or on the campus of a university. While people with concealed carry permits were previously exempt from this law, they too will now be barred from carrying a weapon in these areas unless approved by school administrators.

“Closing the (concealed carry) school grounds exemption in California is consistent with efforts to maintain school and college campuses as safe, gun free, environments,” bill author California State Senator Lois Wolk wrote in September. “SB 707 will ensure that students and parents who expect a campus to be safe and ‘gun free’ can be confident that their expectation is being met and that school officials are fully in charge of who is allowed to bring a firearm on their campus.”

Moran “hugely” opposes that opinion, he said, and contends people who have obtained concealed carry permits have already undergone several background checks at the state and federal levels.

In the event of a school shooting, he believes a campus without guns is more vulnerable than one that allows responsible gun owners.

“I think the more armed people in society who are good people, the safer society he is,” he added.

The third law is an expansion of previously passed legislation regulating the coloring and marking of airsoft and BB guns, requiring manufacturers to use fluorescent or bright patterns on the gun to ensure that the non-lethal weapons can be recognized as such.

Moran agrees that this could be beneficial when it comes to the safety of children who play with these kinds of guns, but he fears that criminals would be able to pass off lethal weapons as toys with a simple coat of paint.

Since the San Bernardino terrorist attack on Dec. 2 that left 14 dead, Moran said gun sales have taken off as people shocked by the attack’s proximity arm themselves against possible threats.

He expects the enactment of these laws to have a similar impact as people stock up due to fear of further government regulation.

“I think as a gun culture we’ve always been under attack, under a microscope,” he said. “It’s all about control in my eyes, because the more and more amount of control they have over you is what (the government) wants.”

Anna Rumer is a public safety reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at (760) 285-5490, anna.rumer@desertsun.com or on Twitter @AnnaRumer.