Bill > SB937

This bill updates California law to place strict regulations on the use of flash-bang grenades—which are less-than-lethal explosive devices designed to create a bright flash and loud noise to temporarily stun or disorient individuals—and explosive breaching charges, which are small explosive tools used to forcefully open locked doors or windows. Under existing law, certain weapons like kinetic energy projectiles (such as rubber bullets) and chemical agents (such as tear gas and pepper spray) are already heavily restricted or banned for dispersing peaceful assemblies, protests, or demonstrations. This bill adds flash-bang grenades to those existing restrictions, meaning law enforcement agencies cannot use them for crowd control unless very specific, high-threshold safety requirements are met, such as attempting de-escalation first, ensuring bystanders are protected, avoiding aiming them at vital body parts, and having authorization exclusively from an on-site commanding officer. Furthermore, the legislation explicitly prohibits law enforcement agencies and peace officers from using either flash-bang grenades or explosive breaching charges for immigration enforcement purposes, with very narrow exceptions for specific multi-agency task forces or statutory compliances. Finally, the bill requires local and state law enforcement agencies to publicly report any instances where flash-bang grenades are deployed for crowd control on their internet websites within a 60- to 90-day window, mirroring reporting rules already established for kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents, while the California Department of Justice is tasked with compiling and linking these agency reports online for public transparency.