Sacramento, CA, October 16, 2017 – Today Governor Brown signed into law two bills that will help keep guns out of dangerous hands. The 28 California Brady Campaign Chapters worked tirelessly all year to see these bills through the California Legislature and get them to the Governor's desk.
Peggy McCrum, President of the California Brady Campaign, said, "Since last year's legislative season, we've seen a rise in hate crimes and the most deadly shooting in our country's history. Brady is proud to see California take action this year to keep guns out of dangerous hands. I applaud the California Legislatures and Governor Brown for recognizing the importance of these bills and singing AB 785 and SB 536 into law. Good gun laws save lives. California continues to lead the way in gun violence prevention and reducing gun deaths in California ahead of the rest of the nation."
AB 785, The Disarm Hate Act by Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), will close a dangerous gap in California law that currently permits individuals convicted of violent hate crimes to possess and acquire guns within ten years of their conviction. Additionally, misdemeanor convictions for hate-motivated property crimes will also carry a ten-year firearm prohibition under AB 785. The bill passed the California Legislature on a unanimous, bipartisan basis.
Senator Richard Pan's (D-Sacramento) SB 536 will make information related to Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) available to researchers affiliated with either the newly established University of California Firearm Violence Research Center, other nonprofit educational institutions or public agencies focused on the study and prevention of violence. California's GVRO law provides a way for family members and law enforcement to save lives by removing firearms from Californians who become a danger to themselves or others before tragedy strikes, and temporarily preventing them from buying more guns. To make the GVRO law as effective as possible, researchers and medical professionals need to study the data on this new law. Previous California law did not allow academic researchers to have access to GVRO records.
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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