New laws that recently went into effect in California and New York require gun dealers in their respective states to warn potential customers of the dangers that come with owning a firearm, including the increased risks of homicide, suicide, and injury as a result of unintentional shootings. Modeled after tobacco and alcohol warnings, the measures are designed to raise awareness among gun owners — as gun manufacturers rarely, if ever, warn customers of such risks in their marketing materials.
Research has shown that the presence of a firearm in a home doubles and triples everyone in that home’s chances of dying by homicide and suicide, respectively. Access to a gun in a domestic violence situation also makes it five times more likely that the woman will be killed, and hundreds of children are killed and injured every year in unintentional shootings. Since 2015, there have been at least 3,530 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 1,364 deaths and 2,283 injuries across the U.S.
SAFETY WARNINGS FOR CALIFORNIA GUN DEALERS
In September 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1598 into law along with several other gun safety measures, including a new microstamping requirement and a tax on firearm and ammunition sales to fund gun safety initiatives.
AB 1598, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, requires that gun dealers provide anyone who purchases or receives a firearm — even if it’s loaned — with a pamphlet warning them of the risks and dangers of gun ownership, “including the increased risk of death to someone in the household by suicide, homicide, or unintentional injury.” The California Department of Justice has been tasked with creating the pamphlet.
The measure is yet another strategy to bolster safe and responsible gun ownership in California. To own a gun in California, residents must pass a test covering several topics, including current gun laws, eligibility requirements, safe storage practices, and risk prevention strategies, to obtain a Firearm Safety Certificate. The state also has a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases and recently expanded its child-access prevention laws to require gun owners to secure any firearms that aren’t in their immediate control. That law goes into effect next year. To learn more about California’s gun laws, click here.
new york’s SIMILAR APPROACH
On January 7, 2025, a new law similar to California’s went into effect in New York. Now gun dealers in the state must post signs in their stores and give customers notices warning that “access to a weapon or firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death during domestic disputes, and/or unintentional deaths to children, household members and others.” The notices must also state, “If you or a loved one is experiencing distress and/or depression, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed S6649/A2882 into law last October along with several other gun safety measures. At the time, New York Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said, “By providing this information and directing individuals in crisis to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, we are equipping people with the resources they need to make informed decisions and keep their loved ones safe.” New York State Senator Michael Gianaris added, “Education and information are key to responsible gun ownership, which will prevent injury and improve public safety.”
To learn more about New York’s gun laws, click here.
PROPOSED GRAPHIC WARNINGS IN NEW YORK CITY
A bill introduced by New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher in September would go a step further, requiring that the city’s 14 gun dealers display warning signs with messages similar to the aforementioned state laws, but also feature provocative images like the kind shown here, such as a child reaching into a drawer to grab an unsecured pistol. The bill would task the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with designing the warning signs.
The bill could serve as an example for other municipalities, and if enacted, any gun dealer who fails to display the signs could be fined up to $5,000.
According to The Trace, the proposal was “inspired by foreign cigarette packaging, which carries images including rotting teeth and gums, cancer-ridden lungs, and premature babies to dissuade people from smoking. Bottcher’s chief of staff, Carl Wilson, said, “We felt that there is no other consumer product without a visual warning that is as dangerous as guns, so this seemed like an appropriate fit.”