While the country’s eyes were on the aftermath of tragedies in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Laguna Woods, California state lawmakers were prioritizing gun safety legislation in the statehouse last week. Though California has strong gun safety laws, there is more work that must be done to protect Californians from gun violence.
Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers have testified, emailed, and tweeted to support gun safety legislation in the statehouse. This session, volunteers and supporters have sent over 6,500 messages to lawmakers about gun safety.
Seven life-saving gun safety bills were advanced in the California legislature last week marking a big week for gun violence prevention in the state:
- AB1594, legislation to allow lawsuits against manufacturers and sellers of firearms for the harm caused by their product passed the Assembly. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Senate.
- AB1621, legislation to further regulate ghost guns. The bill would prohibit the sale of the unserialized parts that are easily converted into untraceable ghost guns by people who cannot legally purchase guns passed the Assembly. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Senate.
- AB1929, legislation to create a community violence prevention and recovery program covered as a Medi-Cal benefit passed the Assembly. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Senate.
- AB2571, legislation to prohibit advertising firearms in ways that are designed, intended, or likely to appeal to minors passed the Assembly. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Senate.
- AB2156, legislation to crack down on the manufacture of firearms–including 3D printing–by unlicensed persons passed the Assembly. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Senate.
- SB993, legislation to remove barriers that prevent many crime survivors from receiving assistance from the California Victim Compensation Board passed the Senate. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Assembly.
- SB1327, legislation to allow citizens to sue someone who violates the state’s assault weapons and ghost gun laws passed the Senate. The bill now awaits a committee hearing in the Assembly.
There is also a hearing in the Senate Education Committee tomorrow for AB 452, legislation to require school districts to send home information about secure storage from school. Thanks to the work of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers more than 2 million students across the country live in districts where secure storage information is sent home with students – including over 20 school districts in California.
Statistics about gun violence in California are available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator – which shows how California’s gun laws compare to those of other states – is available here. If you are interested in speaking with a California Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action volunteer, please don’t hesitate to reach out.