California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed into law several gun control bills proposed in the wake of several mass shootings that were used by the state legislature as the basis for the new restrictions.

The new laws come seven months after a gunman opened fire with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 14 students and three adults, the second-deadliest mass shooting at a public school in U.S. history. The rampage, which authorities say was carried out by a former student who was 19, has spurred unprecedented activism by victims and their families to prevent future gun violence and demanding stricter gun control across the United States. California already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. State Senator Anthony Portantino, the Democrat lawmaker who wrote the bill, said the rampage in Florida along with other shootings at high schools motivated him.

Because the new laws don’t address mental health issues or the prevention of gang-members from illegally acquiring weapons, the new rules will be meaningless. Therefore, the laws are a perfect addition to Brown’s “legacy” package.

Perhaps the most outrageous of the new rules is that Californians under the age of 21 will no longer be able to legally buy firearms starting next year.

The Firearms Policy Coalition, a gun rights advocacy group, slammed the bill. “Governor Brown just told millions of people under 21 that they can fight and die for our state and country with machine guns, but they can’t buy a gun for self-defense in their homes,” said group spokesman Craig DeLuz. “That’s nuts.” …Exemptions for law enforcement officers, military service members and hunters with a valid license issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are included in the provision, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The other laws that will take effect Jan.1, 2019 are:

Assembly Bill 2103: requires es applicants to undergo a minimum of eight hours of training and pass a live-fire shooting test to receive a concealed carry weapons permit.

Senate Bill 1346: Bans “bump stocks” in California.

Assembly Bill 1968: Establishes a lifetime ban on gun ownership for anyone who is involuntarily admitted to a facility for a mental health disorder, and determined to be a danger to themselves or others, more than once in a year.

Assembly Bill 3129: Bars gun ownership for life for anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.

Senate Bill 1200: Adds magazines and ammunition to the list of items that can be temporarily confiscated as part of a gun violence restraining order.



