Gavin Newsom Signs Several Bills to Bolster Gun Control

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several new gun control measures on Tuesday.

One allows the court to consider acts of stalking and animal cruelty as grounds to restrict access to firearms.

The California Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, has advanced some of the strictest gun laws in the country, but many have not survived court challenges.

“California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws.”

Under the new California gun control laws, judges can now consider stalking, animal cruelty, or violent threats as evidence when issuing gun violence restraining orders.

Another provision prohibits individuals with dismissed misdemeanor charges due to mental incompetency from owning guns, a restriction previously limited to felony charges.

One law focuses on ghost guns, requiring law enforcement agencies to ban their vendors from selling guns that were meant to be destroyed.

This measure received bipartisan support in the state Legislature.

The new legislation also strengthens protections for domestic violence survivors, tightening restrictions on police officers who have committed domestic violence by limiting their ability to carry firearms.

Law enforcement is further mandated to confiscate guns from offenders.

Additionally, Gov. Newsom signed a law banning the use of fake gunfire and fake blood in active-shooter drills in public schools.

As part of his broader push for gun control, Newsom has enacted numerous measures, including addressing the issue of ghost guns, raising taxes on firearms and ammunition to fund education, and banning firearms in most public spaces.

He also launched a campaign last year for a constitutional amendment on gun safety with little success.

The gun safety laws are the latest in a surge of legislation signed by the governor.

Last week, Newsom signed a bill that will reward renters who keep up with their payments by giving them positive credit reports.

This week, Newsom announced that from 2026, plastic bags will be banned at all grocery store checkout lines. Instead, they will only offer paper ones.

Earlier this month, the governor signed a bill intended to tackle AI deepfakes.

New policies include a law targeting AI-generated fake political ads and materials that could mislead the electorate.

This law, which took effect immediately, allows individuals to sue for damages if they have been harmed by deepfake content.

It also empowers courts to order the removal of misleading AI-generated materials that misrepresent candidates, election processes, or even election workers.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press