California Governor Signs 22 Bills That Tighten Gun Laws and Aim to Reduce Violence

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Los Angeles on Sept. 25. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Vowing that “California won’t wait” until the next mass shooting to act, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 24 signed a package of bills with a goal of strengthening firearms regulations and preventing gun violence.

One new law, Assembly Bill 2642—authored by Assemblyman Marc Berman and also known as the PEACE Act—prohibits intimidation, threats, coercion, and attempts to influence elections officials. The law also declares the acts of openly carrying firearms or imitation guns while observing or interacting with election activities a crime.

The author said the law is needed to protect voters and election workers.

“In an era when our nation faces an epidemic of gun violence, as well as escalating threats to elections officials and volunteers, we must prepare for the worst and continue to strengthen our election security and accessibility,” Berman said. “California has long been at the forefront of implementing sensible gun reform and strengthening access to our elections. The PEACE Act would continue this work and ensure that Californians have the freedom to vote without the fear of intimidation.”

The law could be challenged in court, as consultants with the Senate Judiciary Committee found possible Second Amendment implications, depending on how the judicial system ultimately rules on lawsuits challenging the state’s prohibition on carrying firearms.

The governor said the new laws advance the Golden State’s “nation leading” gun statutes.

“California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act,” Newsom said in a press release announcing the legislative enactments. “Data shows that California’s gun safety laws are effective in preventing gun-related deaths—which makes the ongoing inaction and obstruction by politicians in the pocket of the gun lobby even more reprehensible.”

The laws’ provisions cover a range of topics, from protecting children—with stricter safe storage requirements and stronger penalties for firearm owners whose guns are accessed by minors with an ensuing death or injury—to reducing and preventing firearm-related hate crimes—by requiring more training for law enforcement officials, identifying extremism, and facilitating more effective restraining orders.

Domestic abuse victims are prioritized with safeguards meant to keep guns out of aggressors’ hands and better training of child custody caseworkers and law enforcement officers.

Convicted animal abusers and those deemed incompetent to stand trial or a threat to themselves or others will also be restricted from possessing guns.

The governor highlighted statistics that he said show California leading the country in terms of gun safety—with a firearm-related death rate 43 percent below the national average, according to an August 2023 report from the state’s Department of Justice.

Another new law, initiated as Assembly Bill 960 and introduced by Assemblyman Devon Mathis, encourages public schools to create a web- or app-based safety program that allows remote access to surveillance systems on campus and provides a comprehensive map to assist emergency responders.

“We must do our best to keep our children and staff at schools safe,” Mathis said in a statement. “A society and school system that takes advantage of modern resources, in the best interest of our children, is the society I want to live in and the school system I want to send my children to.”

In recent years, some school safety drills have included shooting scenarios, which Assembly Bill 1858, introduced by Assemblyman Christopher Ward and now passed into law, will regulate.

Among other things, the law prohibits “high intensity” exercises that simulate active-shooter situations and bans the use of real weapons, explosions, gunfire blanks, or armed actors posing as assailants during the drills.

Schools will need to develop “trauma-informed” drills that follow best practices, which the California Department of Education will have to post on its website by June 15, 2025.

“AB 1858 seeks to standardize school shooter drills by giving clear guidance to the California Department of Education so they can update their current requirements for school districts to use when conducting these drills,” Wicks said in a statement made when advancing the legislation.

One group supporting the law said it will help schools best prepare students and faculty for potentially tragic situations while avoiding unnecessary trauma during the drills.

“Keeping students and staff safe is the top priority of every school leader,” the Association of California School Administrators said in a statement. “AB 1858 will support school districts in their efforts to keep students and staff safe and prepared to act quickly in the event of a violent threat.”

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty’s Assembly Bill 2565, now signed into law, requires schools that offer first- to 12th-grade education to install interior locks on classroom doors when the schools are remodeled, expanded, or retrofitted. Existing law mandates the same for any newly constructed school building.

Assembly Bill 1252, authored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks and now the law of the state, establishes an office of gun violence prevention within the state’s Department of Justice to advise the attorney general on matters related to prevention and the effectiveness of existing laws and programs. The office is required to issue a public report after consulting with stakeholders by July 1, 2026.

More bill signings and vetoes are expected in the coming days, as hundreds of bills await the governor’s decision, with the Sept. 30 deadline approaching.