Throughout the years, our country has faced far too many incidents of gun violence. These tragedies have impact countless communities, including our own of San Diego. It’s more important than ever that we continue to push for stronger protections, and California has a strong record of doing so. Read on for examples of how California continues to lead the way in helping curb gun violence.
The Assembly passed two of my gun safety measures this year. My bill AB 2239 will keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals by prohibiting those convicted of child endangerment and elder abuse from possessing a firearm for 10 years. Learn more about AB 2239, which has passed the Assembly and is now with the Senate, HERE.
Additionally, I have authored AB 2137, which would advance protections for victims of domestic violence by ensuring that family justice centers across California have the resources needed to help victims pursue gun violence restraining orders (GVROs) if necessary. Learn more about AB 2137, which has also passed the Assembly and is now in the Senate Public Safety Committee, HERE.
Over the years, I have had a strong voting record in support of ending gun violence. I have been recognized by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for supporting policies that take assault-style weapons off our streets and placing limits on the number of guns that can be purchased at one time. I will continue to work to get guns off the streets.
I also voted to support the following bills this year, which are now moving to the Senate:
- AB 1594 (Ting) - Allows California citizens, the Attorney General, and local governments to sue manufacturers and sellers of firearms for the harm caused by their products when the state's strict gun laws aren’t followed.
- AB 1621(Gipson) - Seeks to increase public safety by further restricting ghost guns and the parts and kits used to build them while protecting the rights of legal gun owners in California.
- AB 2552 (McCarty) - Ensures proper background checks at gun shows in California, and increases the safety and oversight of these events to prevent guns and ammo from getting into the wrong hands.
- AB 2571 (Bauer-Kahan) - Prohibits gun manufacturers from harmful advertising to children and youth.
- AB 2156 (Wicks) - Closes loopholes that currently allow individuals and corporations to manufacture large numbers of firearms without complying with standard manufacturer requirements.
- AB 1929 (Gabriel) - Provides Medi-Cal reimbursement for violence prevention services for victims of gun violence and other violent incidents.
- AB 1769 (Bennett) - Prohibits the sale of firearms, firearm precursor parts, or ammunition on the property of Ventura County Fairgrounds and Event Center.
California has proven that it is possible to reduce gun violence through legislative action. In the last decade, we have passed nearly 100 laws aimed at reducing gun violence, and these efforts have kept us consistently below the national average in terms of gun deaths. I have supported numerous measures that have helped to get us here, including:
- SB 61 (Portantino, 2019) - A bill I Co-authored, closed the loophole that allowed the Chabad of Poway shooter to obtain a gun; prohibited a person from making an application to purchase more than one firearm of any kind within a 30-day period, specifically for those who do not own a hunting license; and banned the sale of any semiautomatic centerfire rifle to any person under the age of 21.
- AB 1903 (Gonzalez, 2018) - Prohibited a city, county, or the state from providing a gift card for a gun business in exchange for a gun, when operating a gun buyback program.
- AB 2888 (Ting, 2018) - Added co-workers, employers, and teachers to the group of people able to pursue a gun violence restraining order (GVRO) in court, in order to prevent gun-related tragedies before they happen.
- AB 893 (Gloria, 2019) - Prohibited the sale of firearms and ammunition at San Diego County’s Del Mar Fairgrounds, a place children are typically present.
- AB 2617 (Gabriel, 2020) - Required California to honor similar or equivalent gun violence restraining orders that are issued out of state.
- AB 2061 (Limon, 2020) - Cracked down on the number of illegally trafficked guns being sold by corrupt dealers at gun shows by authorizing the Department of Justice to inspect all firearm dealers, ammunition vendors, or manufacturers in order to ensure compliance with state and federal firearm laws.
- AB 2362 (Muratsuchi, 2020) - Ensured accountability, transparency, and security regarding gun sales in California by authorizing the Department of Justice to fine irresponsible dealers who do not follow proper gun selling laws.
- AB 1191 (McCarty, 2021) - Addressed the issue of stolen or lost firearms used in the commission of a crime by requiring the Department of Justice to analyze the crime gun data reported by law enforcement regarding the history of a recovered firearm.
- SB 320 (Eggman, 2021) - Required abusers under domestic violence restraining orders to report and turn over any firearms and ammunition in their possession, while also requiring the court and law enforcement to review and verify that the requirement has been met. SB 320 also required the courts to consider whether the abuser under the restraining order is in possession or control of a firearm or ammunition when making determinations related to child custody or visitations.
- SB 538 (Rubio, 2021) - Required courts to accept domestic or gun violence restraining orders electronically and after business hours, allowing victims more opportunity to pursue restraining orders against their abusers.
Above all else, protecting our communities is my number one priority. I am committed to ensuring that our children can go to school without fear of facing the violence we see happening across our nation. I look forward to supporting additional measures that will continue to combat gun violence.