California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday signed a law doubling taxes on guns and ammunition sold in the state.
Newsom also signed a separate law that would prohibit the carrying of firearms in most public places in California.
The federal government currently taxes gun and ammo sales at a rate of 10% or 11%. The new law tacks on another 11% to sales in California.
According to the gun control advocacy organization Brady United, California is now the only state with a separate tax on guns and ammo.
Funding from the taxes is expected to go toward the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program, as well as increased security at public schools along with after-school programs and mental and behavioral health services for students, teachers and other school staffers.
The California Rifle and Pistol Association has sued to block the law that prohibits the carrying of firearms in most public places. Just last week, a federal judge struck down a California law banning guns with detachable magazines that carry more than 10 rounds. It’s one of three major pending cases challenging California’s gun restrictions.
The two laws were among nearly two dozen gun control measures Newsom signed on Tuesday, which the governor’s office said will also require that firearms be microstamped.
However, Newsom has acknowledged that many of the new laws might not survive legal challenges in the U.S. Supreme Court, which the Democrat referred to as having a “reckless…ideological agenda.”
