California Doubles Tax On Guns, Ammunition With New Law

SACRAMENTO — Taxes on firearms and ammunition will double in California, generating nearly $160 million annually for violence prevention efforts, after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed several gun reform bills into law.

The move followed a federal judge's decision Friday to block the state’s ban on large-capacity magazines — defined as those that hold over 10 rounds of ammunition — due to constitutionality concerns.

“While radical judges continue to strip away our ability to keep people safe, California will keep fighting — because gun safety laws work,” Newsom said in a news release. “The data proves they save lives: California’s gun death rate is 43 percent lower than the rest of the nation. These new laws will make our communities and families safer.”

Guns are already taxed at 10-11 percent by federal authorities, but with the addition of another 11 percent, California becomes the only state with a separate tax on firearms and ammunition, according to the gun control advocacy group Brady.

Of the $159 million created yearly by the state tax, $75 million would go to a grant program that funds projects to help young people in gangs and $50 million would boost school security through physical improvements, student services and safety assessments.

“It’s shameful that gun manufacturers are reaping record profits at the same time that gun violence has become the leading cause of death for kids in the United States,” bill author and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat from Encino, said in the news release.

Another law signed Tuesday by Newsom bans people from carrying guns in public parks and playgrounds, at public demonstrations and gatherings, and at amusement parks, churches, banks and anywhere alcohol is sold. It also sets the minimum age to publicly carry at 21 and imposes stronger training requirements.

Other new laws allow courts to ban people in mental health diversion programs from buying or having guns and require microstamping for semiautomatic pistols, a process that etches unique identifiers on used cartridges, giving police information about weapons after shootings.

Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, criticized the new laws — calling them unconstitutional.

"These laws will not make us safer. They are an unconstitutional retaliatory and vindictive response to the Supreme Court's affirmation that the Second Amendment protects an individuals' right to choose to own a firearm for sport or to defend your family," he said. "They are being challenged, and the second they are signed, the clock starts ticking towards a judgment striking them down."

California has some of the lowest gun death rates in the country, ranking 43rd out of 50 states with nine deaths for every 100,000 people, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.