California governor signs bills to strengthen gun safety laws, support domestic violence survivors News
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California governor signs bills to strengthen gun safety laws, support domestic violence survivors

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several pieces of legislation on Friday that bolster California’s gun laws and provide additional protections for people dealing with domestic violence.

AB 1057 allows law enforcement to seize ghost guns when the owner has a gun violence or domestic violence restraining order against them. Ghost guns are firearms that have been assembled from parts and thus may not be registered. The existing law enables officers to seize registered firearms from people who are identified as threats under gun violence orders, so this expansion was purported to close that loophole by making sure that, “readily available weapons which look and act like any other firearm are treated appropriately,” says sponsor Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris.

SB 320 mandates the use of uniform procedures to ensure the relinquishment of weapons by individuals who have a domestic violence restraining order prohibiting them from owning firearms. Again addressing gun use, under AB 1191, the Department of Justice is required to analyze crime gun data to track firearm use in crime and identify gun violence trends.

Enhancing support to domestic violence survivors, SB 538 requires courts to permit individuals seeking domestic violence and gun violence restraining orders to file electronically and attend hearings remotely. Similarly, SB 887 allows domestic violence survivors to file restraining orders online.

“California has the strongest gun safety laws in the nation, but we’re reminded every day that we can’t afford to be complacent in the fight against the gun violence epidemic in this country – we can and must do more,” said Governor Newsom.