SACRAMENTO, CA — The Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1078 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park), which would update California’s lifesaving firearm laws to align with recent Supreme Court decisions. The legislation, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, would ensure the state’s nation-leading firearm laws continue to preserve public safety.
“California has long been a leader in implementing commonsense firearm laws, and those laws save thousands of lives. As the Supreme Court creates new standards for evaluating the Second Amendment, our firearm laws must evolve to remain effective and continue to save lives,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman. “I am proud to partner with Attorney General Bonta to protect California’s strong firearm laws and ensure they are legally defensible.”
In 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision in New York Rifle Association v Bruen, creating the new text-and-history test for evaluating Second Amendment cases, and requiring that any regulation of firearms be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. After Bruen, California enacted Senate Bill 2 (Portantino, 2023), following the Supreme Court’s guidance and revising California’s concealed carry weapons (CCW) laws.
Since the enactment of SB 2, many of its provisions have been challenged by lower courts, and the Supreme Court has since provided more guidance for use of the text-and-history test, with its decision in United States v Rahimi.
AB 1078 addresses these recent legal challenges by updating California’s CCW laws to align with recent court cases, while respecting Second Amendment rights. In addition, the bill establishes a new purchasing limit of three guns per 30 days, to further prevent gun trafficking and save lives.
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Contact: BermanPress@asm.ca.gov