New Gun Control Regulations Take Effect January 1

Starting January 1, it is a crime for law-abiding Californians to loan a firearm to anyone outside of “immediate family,” and a new definition of “assault weapons” takes effect in the state.

New handgun storage requirements and rules pertaining to reporting “lost or stolen” firearms also take effect.

As the Sacramento Bee observes, confusion abounds in a year where the legislature passed gun control for law-abiding citizens, and the state passed similar gun control via ballot initiatives. Yet the new laws mean “a host of restrictions for California’s more than 6 million gun owners.”

The four new restrictions for law-abiding citizens that take effect on January 1 are:

1. A new law that makes it “a crime to falsely report a firearm has been lost or stolen.”
2. A new law that makes it “illegal, with limited exceptions, to loan guns to anyone outside of immediate family members.”
3. A new start date for the new definition of “assault weapons” (a ban on “bullet buttons” included).
4. A new ” requirement that handguns be stored in a locked container or locked trunk when left in an unattended vehicle.”

There are myriad other gun controls on law-abiding citizens that will take effect in 2018. Those include new rules on the importation of ammunition, a background check requirement for in-state ammunition purchases, and a requirement that serial numbers be placed on all homemade guns, among other requirements.

Arguably, none of these new rules will impact criminals.