California Gov. Jerry Brown listens as members of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee discuss a pair of climate change bills he supports, in Sacramento, Calif., July 13, 2017. (Associated Press)
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a slew of gun control measures Friday, including one that raises the age requirement to purchase rifles and shotguns.
In a tightening of what many believe are the strictest gun laws in the nation, Senate Bill 1100 now requires all firearms purchasers to be at least 21, the Mercury News of San Jose reported.
California already restricts handgun sales to people 21 and older.
The Firearms Policy Coalition, a gun rights advocacy group, slammed the bill.
“Governor Brown just told millions of people under 21 that they can fight and die for our state and country with machine guns, but they can’t buy a gun for self-defense in their homes,” said group spokesman Craig DeLuz. “That’s nuts.”
“Governor Brown just told millions of people under 21 that they can fight and die for our state and country with machine guns, but they can’t buy a gun for self-defense in their homes. That’s nuts.”
Democratic state Sen. Anthony Portantino said he was inspired to introduce the bill after February’s high school mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., that resulted in 17 dead.
“As a dad and senator, I am very grateful to Governor Brown for his leadership in signing this important bill,” Portantino said in a statement Friday. “I was determined to help California respond appropriately to the tragic events our country has recently faced on high school campuses.”
Exemptions for law enforcement officers, military service members and hunters with a valid license issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are included in the provision, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Past attempts to regulate guns in the state have resulted in a spike assault weapons registration and lawsuits.
Brown, a Democrat, also signed a number of other gun control bills Friday to expand the state’s gun control laws.
Assembly Bill 2103 requires applicants to undergo at least eight hours of training and pass a live-fire shooting test to receive a concealed carry weapons permit.
Another establishes a lifetime ban on gun ownership for those involuntarily admitted to a facility for mental health disorders, respectively.
Other bills endorsed by Brown prohibit those with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from owning guns and the addition of magazines and ammunition to the list of items that can be confiscated as part of a gun violence restraining order.
Senate Bill 1346 bans “bump stocks,” like the ones used in last October’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, from being sold in California.
President Trump has advocated for new regulations to ban the devices.
Richard Thompson, grassroots director of the Firearms Policy Coalition, said that the “gun control machine was on overdrive this year” and that “we’re disappointed that Governor Brown chose to further expand California’s already-insane gun control laws that infringe on fundamental, individual rights.”
Brown also rejected several gun control bills this week he felt went too far.
One such measure would have expanded the list of people who can seek a gun violence restraining order to include employers, co-workers and high school and college staff.
Others include a bill that would have prohibited most California residents from buying more than one firearm in a 30-day period.
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