California Democrats passed new rules Tuesday restricting who can carry loaded weapons in public, successfully reviving a failed attempt to strengthen the state’s concealed carry gun laws.
Senate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, will update the concealed carry licensing process, add new age restrictions, impose strict storage mandates and limit where permit holders can carry in public. After a vote of 28-8 in the state Senate on Tuesday, the legislation is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.
“I think the impact is going to be significant,” Portantino told The Sacramento Bee just after the Senate floor vote. “Having a gun is a responsibility and what we’re doing is defining who should have that responsibility and who shouldn’t.”
The legislation is enthusiastically backed by both Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta.
In a statement released Monday, Newsom commended the legislature for its support and said that there was a reason why people were “less likely to die from bullets in California.”
“We’re using every tool we can to make our streets and neighborhoods safer from gun violence,” he added in the statement.
Once signed by Newsom, SB 2 requires those who want to carry firearms in public to be 21 or older and have at least 16 hours of training. It will also prohibit permit holders from carrying their guns into a wide array of settings such as schools, courts, government buildings, prisons, hospitals, airports and bars.
Gun rights groups are prepared to file a lawsuit challenging the bill the same day that Newsom signs it into law, according to Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California.
“We know what we have to do and we’re ready to do it,” Paredes said in an interview. “Ultimately, this bill will never see the light of day as a statute in the state of California.”
Concealed carry legal battle plays out in California
Democrats in Sacramento have been trying to shore up concealed carry regulations ever since a June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down key provisions.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year invalidated laws in eight states, including California, that required concealed carry applicants to provide reasons for needing a gun in public and demonstrate that they would do so properly. The ruling means that California could still require a permitting process, but it could not disqualify someone based on the reasons they offered.
Portantino’s previous bill came down to the wire on the last day lawmakers could pass legislation. Portantino, Bonta and Newsom all spent the final hours of the session lobbying lawmakers to push it through. It failed to clear the Assembly by just two votes.
This time around, Portantino made some key changes to the bill, most notably dropping a provision to lower the vote threshold to pass the measure. Last year’s bill was proposed with an urgency clause, which allows the legislation to become effective immediately upon the governor’s signature but requires two-thirds support as opposed to a majority.
Sacramento Bee reporter Maya Miller contributed to this story.
