California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law imposing an excise tax on guns and ammunition sold in California. Effective next July, the state will add an eleven percent tax on retail sales of “guns, gun parts and ammunition.” The money is earmarked for “gun violence prevention, enhanced school safety programs and victims of gun violence.” State law-enforcement agencies and current or former officers are exempted. The state already charges a $37.19 fee for each firearm sale. Newsom also signed two other measures. One revises the state’s concealed-carry laws and details dozens of places where concealed carry will not be permitted, including schools and medical facilities. The third will require that semiautomatic guns sold in the state be equipped with micro stamping technology on cartridges beginning in 2028.
