Brady Celebrates Passage of Vital Gun Safety Bill in California Legislature

AB 452 would require schools to notify parents about safe storage laws and help prevent family fire

WASHINGTON, D.C., August, 11, 2022 — Brady is celebrating today’s passage of a life-saving gun safety bill in the California state legislature that will require schools to notify parents about the state’s safe firearm storage and child access prevention laws.

We know this legislation — AB 452 — will save lives: 76% of school shootings are facilitated by kids having access to unsecured or unsupervised guns in the home. This common-sense measure will prevent school shootings like in Oxford, MI, where a student used an unsecured firearm to kill four classmates and injure seven others. That shooting has drawn national attention as one of the first where parents of the shooter were charged with involuntary manslaughter for facilitating access of a firearm to a minor. Like so many other incidents, this shooting was preventable.

For three years, Brady — alongside our California chapter and Women against Gun Violence — has led advocacy efforts in support of AB 452. Brady alone drove over 3,700 messages to state lawmakers and in the seven years leading up to the introduction of this bill, grassroots activists went from school district to school district working with educational leaders to distribute information on the importance of safe gun storage. Our collective voices made a difference; now, all Californians will have resources to prevent senseless family fire, or a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun in the home that results in death or injury. Every day, eight children and teens are unintentionally injured or killed due to family fire. By practicing and promoting safe firearm storage, we can prevent these tragedies.

Brady President Kris Brown stated:

We must keep our kids and our communities safe. AB 452 will save lives, and we are pleased to see California lawmakers take decisive action today. More than 4.6 million children across the United States live in homes with access to an unsecured firearm. In fact, a recent study found that nearly two-thirds of gun owning adults in California who have children in the home, did not store firearms locked and unloaded. This bill will ensure that critical steps are taken to protect children and save lives. We thank Asm. Friedman, and commend California for taking the lead in employing evidence-based solutions to this public health crisis and passing common-sense gun violence prevention measures.”

Loren Lieb of Brady California and Women Against Gun Violence shared:

This bill will help keep our children safe. My son was only 6-years old when he was shot. Thankfully, he survived, but the fear of losing your child is not something I wish on anyone. And there’s so much we can do to prevent such tragedies. For nearly a decade, we’ve worked with school districts across the state to share information about gun safety with parents. This is a common-sense preventative measure that will save lives and I’m so grateful to see this bill finally become law.”

Assembly Member Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) shared:

“Safe storage saves lives. As other states roll back gun safety measures following the SCOTUS ruling earlier this summer, California is standing firm to protect our kids and keep guns from getting into the wrong hands. I am so pleased that after three long years, my AB 452 is finally crossing the finish line. I believe that knowledge is key to prevention and a critical first line of defense against gun violence.”


Gun Violence in California

Firearm Deaths

  • In 2020, 3,449 people died due to gun violence in California.

  • In 2020, 1,732 people were victims of firearm homicide in California.

  • In 2020, 1,552 people in California took their own lives with a firearm.

Impact on Diverse Communities

  • In California, Hispanic/Latino males are 3.2 times more likely to be a victim of firearm homicide than their white counterparts.

  • Black males are 14.3 times more likely to be a victim of firearm homicide than their white counterparts.

  • Among young Black males (ages 10-24), the firearm homicide rate is 17.3 times higher than their white counterparts.

  • Hispanic/Latino males are 3 times more likely to be a victim of firearm homicide than their white counterparts.

  • Among young Hispanic/Latino males (ages 10-24), the firearm homicide rate is 4.5 times higher than their white counterparts.

  • White males are 3.6 times more likely to take their own life with a firearm than Hispanic/Latino males and 2.2 times more likely than Black males.

California Versus the National Average

  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the gun homicide rate in California is 25.1% lower than the average national rate.

  • The gun suicide rate is 44.8% lower than the average national rate.

  • The rate for all firearm deaths is 36.1% lower than the average national rate.

Firearm Sales

  • In 2020, an estimated 1,220,798 firearms were sold in California (56.3% increase over 2019).

  • In 2021, an estimated 952,654 firearms were sold (22.0% decrease from 2020; 22.0% increase over 2019).

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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