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New Tough California Gun Laws To Take Effect Friday

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – New tough California gun laws are taking effect Friday.

Pellet, BB and Airsoft Guns (Senate Bill 199

Pellet BB Guns
(credit: CBS)

Those guns will not be allowed to be displayed in public unless they are pink, red or other bright colors so they are not mistaken for the real thing.

Advocates said it would help law enforcement avoid tragic mistakes like the 2013 case in which a Santa Rosa boy was killed by Sonoma County sheriff's deputies who mistook his toy gun for a real weapon.

"They look exactly like a real gun. Maybe we as a society can do you a favor and make you carry around something that will give a cop a split second to may be to make a choice to not kill you," said CBS2/KCAL9 legal analyst Steve Meister.

Gun Violence Restraining Orders (Assembly Bill 1014)

It will allow family members who believe a loved one is a danger to himself/herself or others to seek a "temporary gun violence restraining order." The legislation will give police the authority to seize that person's legally owned weapons for 21 days without his or her prior knowledge.

The law was enacted in response to the 2014 Isla Vista mass shootings that left six people dead and 14 others wounded. Before the rampage, gunman Elliot Rodger's parents raised concerns about their son's mental health. Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputies said that despite the parents' warnings, they had no legal authority to search Rodger's apartment.

Elliot Rodger
(credit: YouTube)

"If a family has the insight and the courage to pick up the phone or to go to court and report that someone they love is a danger to others, then kudos to that family. And let's do everything we can to support them," Meister said.

No Concealed Firearms in Schools (Senate Bill 707)

It bans gun owners from carrying concealed handguns at K-12 schools and colleges.

It is already illegal to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school or on a college campus without permission from administrators, but it exempts those with concealed carry permits.

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