California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new laws on Tuesday that will ban the carry of firearms in many public places and will double the taxes on the sales of guns and ammunition to fund school safety programs.
The new carry law bans the carry of firearms in 26 specific places, including parks, playgrounds, public demonstrations and gatherings, churches, banks, and “any other privately owned commercial establishment that is open to the public” unless an owner posts, in writing, that guns are allowed.
The new sales tax law adds an 11% tax on top of the 10% or 11% federal tax on gun sales that already exists. It makes California the only state to charge such an additional fee. The money collected will pay for security improvements at schools and gun violence prevention programs.
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Those two laws are the standouts of more than two dozen gun control measures signed on Tuesday. They may draw new court challenges because they push the limits under the Supreme Court's new standards for evaluating gun laws.
The Supreme Court ruled that lower judges must evaluate gun restrictions on whether they are consistent with the country's "historical tradition of firearm regulation," opening the way to changes to gun control laws in states across the country.
The California Rifle and Pistol Association has already sued to block the carry law.
“These laws will not make us safer," said Chuck Michel, president of the association. "They are an unconstitutional retaliatory and vindictive response to the Supreme Court’s affirmation that the Second Amendment protects an individuals’ right to choose to own a firearm for sport or to defend your family."
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