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California Governor Jerry Brown rejected a legislation that will expand the state law on gun violence restraining orders (GVRO).

Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting introduced AB 2888, which would add co-workers, employers, and school personnel to the list of parties that can petition the courts to temporarily take away guns from someone who poses an imminent danger.

Currently, the state law only allows immediate family members and law enforcement officials to request courts for GVRO. Since the law took effect in 2016, it was used over 200 times. Courts granted 189 petitions for GVRO from 2016 to 2017, according to data from the California Department of Justice.

In his recent statements, Ting said his proposal will give California schools “another tool to prevent more campus tragedies.” The California State Assembly passed AB 2888 in May and sent it to Brown’s desk for approval. Unfortunately, the governor refused to sign it into law.

Governor’s veto message

In his veto message to the California State Assembly, Brown said the existing law already covers all the persons listed in the bill. He believes that family members and law enforcement officers are in the best position to decide on this matter.

The governor wrote, “All of the persons named in this bill can seek a gun violence restraining order today under existing law by simply working through law enforcement or the immediate family of the concerning individual. I think law enforcement professionals and those closest to a family member are best situated to make these especially consequential decisions.”

 Brown approves another  legislation to improve gun laws

On Wednesday, Brown signed into law AB 2103, another legislation to improve gun laws and public safety. The new law requires minimum training standards for applicants of concealed carry weapons permits (CCW).

Applicants for CCW permits need to complete at least eight hours of training plus a live-fire shooting exercise starting on January 1, 2019. They will only receive their CCW permits upon completion of the requirements.

In a statement, Assemblyman Todd Gloria, author of AB 2103, said the governor’s signature means “increasing public safety across California.” He emphasized that his legislation is “about common sense.”

He added, “We are setting consistent and sensible standards statewide for concealed carry permits to ensure weapons do not end up in untrained hands. To put it simply, California is being smart on guns.”

At present, the state law does not require any minimum training standard for people applying for CCW permits. It has no requirement for live-fire shooting exercise. It only sets a maximum training standard of 16 hours, which means a person can obtain a CCW permit with little or no training or without even firing a gun.