Gun Violence Prevention
Action Items
Raise public awareness of the state's "red flag" law and encourage reporting of individuals who display erratic and unstable behavior.
Keep an eye on the state's assault weapons ban and explore alternatives if it is struck down by the courts.
Raise public awareness of Laura's Law and other statutes that allow mentally disturbed individuals to get help.
Support policies to prohibit individuals on the no-fly list from purchasing a firearm.
If an individual is a law-abiding citizen, then his right to own a registered firearm should not be infringed. On the other hand, if an individual posts on social media that he has joined ISIS, then he should not be allowed to own a firearm.
In 1967, armed Black Panther activists protested outside the state capital in Sacramento, prompting California Governor Ronald Reagan to say, “There’s no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons.” Years later, while President of the United States, Reagan was shot and nearly killed by a mentally disturbed man who, at trial, was declared not guilty by reason of insanity. After the trial, the defendant wrote that the shooting was “the greatest love offering in the history of the world” and expressed no remorse at the time. While there are differences of opinion about the verdict, there is no dispute that this individual, officially recognized by a court of law as insane, should not have been allowed to possess a firearm.
The spate of recent mass shootings have underscored the importance of keeping firearms out of the hands of mentally unstable individuals. I support California's "red flag" law, which allows the state to confiscate firearms from individuals displaying erratic behavior. This is especially important because the isolation from COVID-related lockdowns has almost certainly aggravated some mental illnesses.