Lawmakers, local leaders and law enforcement agencies announce new laws centered around combatting gun violence in California.
Members from Prosecutors Alliance of California along with survivors of mass shootings gathered in Monterey Park, the site of a recent deadly mass shooting in support of the new laws. Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhanbra) whose district includes Monterey Park, Monterey Park Mayor Jose Sanchez, LA District Attorney George Gascón and gun violence survivor LaNaisha Edwards were also in attendance.
"It’s unconscionable that we allow law enforcement agencies to resell guns in our communities," said Cristine Soto DeBerry, the founder and executive director of Prosecutors Alliance in a statement. "To make matters worse, we have failed to remove guns from individuals convicted of serious crimes. These proposed gun safety bills will limit the rapid proliferation of guns on our streets and keep guns away from those who threaten our safety."
All three measures were authored by Fong who has taken an outward stance to fighting gun violence. The new pieces of proposed legislation want to ultimately decrease the deaths caused by firearms.
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The first measure AB 732, is aimed at strengthening the process of removing firearms from individuals who are listed by the government as prohibited from owning a firearm due to a criminal conviction. The measure would increase the process of prosecuting attorney's and courts seizure of any firearms at the time of someone's conviction.
The Department of Justice provides local law enforcement with information that indicates people in their jurisdiction that are on the Armed and Prohibited Persons System list. Measure AB 732 wants to require local law enforcement agencies to have a designated person who would stay updated on additions made to the list.
"The data is clear: more guns means more violence and more victims," Gascón said, in a statement. "Law enforcement must be in the business of getting guns off our streets, not arming our communities. I applaud Assemblymember Fong and the Prosecutors Alliance of California for their leadership and urge the legislature to pass these critical gun safety laws."
The second measure, AB 733 would prohibit state and local agencies from selling ammunition, firearms, firearm parts and body armor. It would ensure that the government agencies are following best practices and that they are not contributing to putting firearms into local communities.
"With shootings happening almost daily at schools, grocery stores, churches and dance studios, we can’t rely on heroes to stop the endless scourge of gun violence plaguing our country,” Fong said, in a statement. "Lawmakers are the ones who have the power to end this plague, and I’m proud to take leadership on this effort to help get weapons off our streets. I look forward to working in partnership with the Prosecutors Alliance of California and gun safety advocates to pass these measures."
The third measure, AB 1638 would help expand translation services for non-English speaking Californians to get adequate information relating to local emergencies like mass shooting and other casualty events.
