(NewsSpace.com) – Mass shootings have become all too commonplace in the United States. There were 656 in 2023 alone. That has led many lawmakers to try to enact safety measures in the form of gun control. Five states had new gun laws go into effect as people rang in the new year.
California has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States, but that hasn’t stopped legislators from pressing forward with more. On Monday, January 1, a new law went into effect prohibiting people from carrying weapons in most public places. However, it’s currently being challenged in the courts. Though a US District judge ruled on December 20 that it was a violation of the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court stayed that ruling until the appeals court issues its own ruling.
Illinois is another state where a Democratic governor is looking to enact change. The state banned high-capacity magazines and high-powered semiautomatic rifles as of January 1. Like California, this law underwent a court challenge. However, the state’s Supreme Court upheld the ban. The US Supreme Court refused to block the law as well.
Washington state is expanding its waiting period for firearm purchases. It used to be that anyone purchasing a semiautomatic weapon had to wait 10 days. Now, that has been expanded to all guns. Additionally, anyone purchasing a firearm has to show that they’ve not only taken but passed a gun safety training program within the past five years.
Minnesota became the 20th state to pass a red flag law, one that allows police and family members to petition courts for an extreme risk protection order. They have to demonstrate that the person they are petitioning for is at high risk of endangering themselves or others. Michigan is slated to follow suit in February.
Finally, Colorado has banned ghost guns, unregulated weapons without serial numbers for tracing. This law is currently making its way through federal courts after Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and the National Association of Gun Rights filed a lawsuit claiming it violates the Second Amendment.
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