California enacts first statewide gun and ammunition tax in the country

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several firearms and ammunition-related bills into law on Tuesday, including one to tax guns and ammunition and another that places more rules on people seeking a concealed carry weapons permit and on the permit itself.

The signings come just days after a Newsom-led campaign to amend the U.S. Constitution passed out of the California Legislature.
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The measure passed by legislators calls for a state Constitutional Convention to consider additional federal rules on firearms purchases and use, but two-thirds of states need to pass similar measures in order for the process to advance.

With the signing of AB 28, California will now add an 11% excise tax on the purchase of guns and ammunition, an amount that the bill’s author states is lower than the excise tax on marijuana sales.

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There are exceptions to the tax, such as police agencies and businesses with extremely low sales.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, said that the tax money will go toward preventing gun violence and reducing the costs associated with the health and criminal justice systems when treating patients of gun violence.

Gabriel cited the federal tax on guns and ammunition, which funds hunting and wildlife programs across the country, as a reason to have a statewide tax to fund gun safety programs.

“If we can have a tax to protect wildlife, we can have one that protects people,” Gabriel said.

Another significant bill signed into law on Tuesday is SB 2, by Sen. Anthony Portantino, which will change the rules for carrying concealed weapons.

California’s new law requires permit holders to be 21, bans concealed weapons from most public places, including parks, schools, government buildings, hospitals, and places where alcohol is sold, as well as as at public demonstrations and gatherings.

Sen. Portantino said it is common sense to want to protect yourself with a concealed firearm, but that firearms may not be needed at a ballfield or at a restaurant where alcohol is served.

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“You as a responsible person with that permit will need to do a little work to know where it is allowed,” Portantino said.

Another new law will require that all pistols sold in the state beginning in 2028 have microstamping technology, which will leave unique markings on bullets that will make it easier to trace which weapon was used in a shooting.

The full list of firearms-related bills signed into law are as follows:
SB 2 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) — Firearms.
SB 241 by Min — Firearms: dealer requirements.
SB 368 by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) — Firearms: requirements for licensed dealers.
SB 417 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) — Firearms: licensed dealers.
SB 452 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) — Firearms.
AB 92 by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) – Body armor: prohibition.
AB 97 by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona) — Firearms: unserialized firearms.
AB 301 by Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) — Gun violence restraining orders: body armor.
AB 355 by Alanis (R-Modesto) — Firearms: assault weapons: exception for peace officer training.
AB 455 by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton)— Firearms: prohibited persons.
AB 574 by Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. (D-Los Angeles) — Firearms: dealer records of sale.
AB 724 by Assemblymember Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield)  — Firearms: safety certificate instructional materials.
AB 725 by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach)— Firearms: reporting of lost and stolen firearms.
AB 732 by Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra) — Crimes: relinquishment of firearms.
AB 762 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) — California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program.
AB 818 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) — Protective orders.
AB 1089 by Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) — Firearms.
AB 1406 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) — Firearms: waiting periods.
AB 1420 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) — Firearms.
AB 1483 by Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) — Firearms: purchases.
AB 1587 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) — Financial transactions: firearms merchants: merchant category code.
AB 1598 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) — Gun violence: firearm safety education.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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