Newsom, other CA leaders announce new push for gun safety laws after mass shootings

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several legislators, said a new gun safety measure will go before lawmakers this year, promising to make sure licenses for concealed-carry weapons won't end up in the wrong hands.

Senate Bill 2 aims to regulate who could obtain a CCW permit, limit possession of firearms in sensitive locations like schools and churches, and require stronger firearms safety training for gun owners.

"The mass shooting incidents we have seen over recent weeks bring to light the need for stronger protections for our communities," Bonta said. "The fact is, individuals who are not law-abiding, responsible citizens simply shouldn't possess firearms - and they especially shouldn't be allowed to carry a concealed weapon in public. When a gun is placed in the wrong hands, it is deadly."

SB 2 is an effort to plug holes in the state's CCW law left by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, that says states cannot require a person to have a cause in order to get a CCW license.

SB 2 is authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Glendale, and sponsored by Bonta and Newsom.

In the wake of the Monterey Park ballroom shooting, family members of some victims called for stronger gun-control laws.

"I'm hearing that there's more shootings than there are days in the year. That's ridiculous," said Kathleen Fong, the niece of shooting victim Xiujuan Yu. "Now that it's happened more personally, I would hope that community members would be more driven to be...active in promoting more gun control."

In just the month of January, 46 people were killed or wounded in mass shootings in California.

"It's just become so normalized. We're just not going to allow that," Newsom said at the news conference.

He also guaranteed that SB 2 won't come up short in votes this session.

"That's not going to happen this year. No question about that," he said. "I will be signing this legislation. I don't think that, I know that."

But the new law would still have to stand up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that's where gun-rights advocates say it will fail.

The Firearms Policy Coalition released a statement Wednesday after the news conference:

"Gavin Newsom is just another opportunistic authoritarian politician with a hair stylist. Our attorneys strictly follow federal court rules and we have no control over the content and effect of those rules. Our job is to file world-class strategic litigation to restore the constitutionally protected human right to keep and bear arms for the People. As evidenced by Gavin Newsom's incessant whining about our cases, we do that better than anyone. He will lose and he knows it."

Eyewitness News is taking a closer look at the efforts to address gun violence in "Guns in California" Searching for Solutions."

We'll be joined by a panel of experts to look into what's being done now and the opportunities for change. Joins us at 4:30 p.m. Friday.