Two recently signed California laws that affect school schedules and gun regulation will take effect July 1.
The new laws are part of the 770 bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in October of last year, according to Cal Matters.
Senate Bill 328 resolves concerns that classes start too early, inhibiting students from receiving adequate sleep, KTLA sister station KTXL reports. According to California legislative information, current law requires the governing board of each school district to fix the length of the school day. However, that broad authority will soon expire.
Effective July 1, middle schools – including those operated as charter schools – cannot start before 8 a.m. Similarly, most high school campuses can start no earlier than 8:30 am. The legislation aims to provide preteens and teenagers with more sleep to promote their health and development.
While the law exempts rural school districts, the new rules will affect all other students and teachers during the 2022-23 academic year.
As the United States grapples with increasing gun violence, California lawmakers are also aiming to remove more guns from the streets. However, advancing technology like 3D printers is making that an arduous task.
Pleasantonweekly.com reports an “astronomical rise” in homemade ghost guns. These illegal weapons are made without a serial number, rendering them untraceable from law enforcement and increasingly popular among criminals.
Starting July 1, concerned Californians may take matters into their own hands. The bill will permit family members, teachers, co-workers and employers to request a judge to seize ghost guns from someone they deem to be a danger to themselves or the public.
According to Giffords Law Center, untraceable guns like ghost guns are being increasingly used by trafficking gun rings across the country. In 2019, officials said a sixteen-year-old boy used a ghost gun in a Santa Clarita school shooting, killing two students and injuring three others. California is one of ten states to regulate the weapons.
