Don’t pay much attention to the new police shooting law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. It is pointless.

That’s because it will not functionally alter the criminal liability of police officers who use lethal force. The new standard means that police officers may only use lethal force (discharge their firearms) if they can show such force was “necessary” to defend against an imminent threat to life or serious injury. The “necessary” qualification replaces a previous standard of “reasonable.”