DATE:
October 19, 2021
01
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
TAKING GHOST GUNS OFF OUR STREETS AND DISRUPTING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE AFFLICTING OUR COMMUNITIES (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The United States continues to suffer from the plague of firearm violence and deaths.? Amongst the?two-dozen?high income, populous countries including Australia, France, Italy, Spain,?and the United Kingdom, over 80 percent of firearm deaths occur in the US. ? Over 90 percent of children killed by firearms in this group were from the US.1 Each year, more than 39,000 people in United States die as result of gun violence, and tens of thousands more suffer non-fatal gun injuries.2
To stem the tide of gun violence, we must take action at the local level. We must take action to prevent unintentional shootings, interrupt suicidal tendencies, reduce the risk of homicides and decrease access to guns used in crimes.
A "ghost gun" ordinance would lower the chances of firearms getting into the hands of individuals banned from possession due to a criminal conviction involving a felony or violent misdemeanor, and from persons prohibited from possessing firearms due to mental illness.
To reduce suicides and other deaths or injuries, reasonable gun storage laws must be enacted at the local level.??Studies have demonstrated that the risk of suicide-particularly amongst children and teens-is significantly higher in homes where a firearm is kept loaded and/or unlocked.3??An alarming number of children and teens live in homes with loaded and unlocked guns and the overwhelming majority of these minors know where in the home the guns are kept.?Additionally, keeping guns out and accessible can lead to accidents causing unintentional injury or death.
While California law required makers of 3D printed guns to apply for a serial number from the Department of Justice, additional local action is needed.? Individuals can easily download a design file and print a firearm with ...
Click here for full text