In the wake of so many devastating high profile mass shootings in the United States, California's legislature approved several bills that aim to keep the state's residents safe from such gun violence.

New restrictions on gun laws in California

New gun legislation that was initiated after the San Bernardino shooting last December reached California's Governor's desk just one day before he acted on them, passing six gun control bills and vetoing five.

The six new bills signed into law include:

• California gun owners will now have to show ID and undergo background checks to purchase ammunition
• There are now restrictions on gun owners loaning guns among family members
• Gun owners now can't possess ammunition magazines that hold more than ten bullets
• A new bill also attempts to limit “straw purchasing,” which is the practice of buying a gun legally with the intent to sell it to someone else
• A new bill also bans the sale of semiautomatic rifles equipped with bullet buttons allowing the ammunition magazines to be easily detached and replaced

The five bills vetoed were:

• A bill that would have allowed people to petition courts for a temporary restraining order on gun ownership for seemingly dangerous coworkers
• A measure that would require reporting lost or stolen guns within five days
• A law that would limit Californians to only one rifle or shotgun purchase per month
• A law that makes it a felony to steal a gun
• A law that makes it a misdemeanor not to report the loss or theft of a gun

The governor believes the balance between the bills passed and the bills vetoed enhances public safety by tightening existing laws while still protecting the rights of law abiding gun owners.

photo by stevepb on pixabay