The gun laws in California include many measures that liberals want to institute on a federal level, including universal background checks and prohibitions on most assault weapons.
The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in its annual scorecard last year gave California an A-, and said it has the strongest laws in the nation.
The group noted that the state strengthened gun laws in 2014 by enacting numerous new laws, including the historic Gun Violence Restraining Order law.
That law enables family members to ask a judge to remove firearms from a relative who appears to pose a threat. It was passed after officers were unable to confiscate weapons from a man who later killed six people near the University of California–Santa Barbara.
The organization notes that California, among other measures, requires gun dealers to obtain a state license; it limits handgun purchases to one per person per month, and bans most assault weapons and .50-caliber rifles.
Background checks are not only required for regular gun sales, but also when a private owner sells or gives their gun to another person. Moreover, the owner can only do this through a licensed gun store and must fill out the necessary paperwork. The buyer must be a California resident, with the only exception being for an “immediate family member.”
There’s a 10-day waiting period while the dealer runs a background check.
