June 18, 2023 - DAVIS - California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Rep. Mike Thompson, along with state and local leaders, stood together last Friday in solidarity to address the need for bold state and federal action to address gun violence. The call to action is part of Gun Violence Awareness Month, a month to bring awareness to the urgent need for stronger gun violence protections nationwide. California has long been a national leader in effectively preventing gun violence — with one of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the country.
“There have been more mass shootings than days in 2023, and gun violence is now the leading cause of death for American children. Enough has long-been enough.” said Attorney General Bonta. “Gun safety laws work, and yet time and time again, they’ve been stopped or delayed from being implemented on a national scale by the gun lobby and the politicians in their pockets. I stand with leaders, including Representatives Thompson and Bera, as we call for bold and decisive action against gun violence. A crisis of this magnitude deserves creative and collaborative solutions, including investing in lifesaving violence intervention programs that work to break cycles of retaliatory shootings. Whether by seizing firearms from potentially dangerous individuals, holding the gun industry accountable in court, or seeking a constitutional amendment, California is committed to ending gun violence and keeping our people safe.”
“Gun violence is an epidemic that requires a response from every level of government, including local, state, and federal level,” said Rep. Thompson. “As Chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I am working in Congress to advance commonsense gun violence prevention legislation that will save lives and help keep our communities safe. I am proud to have stood with leaders like Attorney General Bonta who are leading efforts in California to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals and modeling how sensible gun laws can reduce gun violence.”
Despite efforts at the state level, in 2020, firearms were the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Gun violence is a true public health crisis that requires immediate and proactive attention. Attorney General Bonta in 2022 established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to advance California’s efforts to adopt a more holistic approach to reducing gun violence, inviting stakeholders from throughout California to assist in these efforts.
Attorney General Bonta is committed to ending gun violence through collaborative and holistic approaches. Through ongoing gun violence reduction efforts led by the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, DOJ’s Bureau of Firearms and several litigation teams, the Department of Justice has seized firearms from dangerous individuals using the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, prosecuted firearms trafficking cases, and advanced and defended California’s commonsense gun laws.
Gun violence remains a growing threat to public safety throughout the nation. On average, there are over 110 gun deaths each day and nearly 41,000 each year in the U.S. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents; with U.S. children being more likely to die from gun violence than in any other comparable country.
California continues its efforts to advance laws and policies that save lives and prevent gun deaths. In 2021, California saw a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California has one of the lowest rates of firearm mortality in the country — 44th out of 50, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people — compared to 13.7 deaths per 100,000 nationally, 28.6 in Mississippi, 20.7 in Oklahoma, and 14.2 in Texas. Children in California are less likely to be killed by guns, with California’s gun death rate for children lower than other states, and 58% lower than the national average.
Despite this, there is much work to do. While Californians are less likely to die as a result of a firearm, too many Californians still suffer the harm of gun violence:
- Someone is killed with a gun every three hours in California.
- Californians who live with handgun owners are more than twice as likely to die of homicide.
- California women living with handgun owners are more likely to die by suicide.
- More than half of those killed by firearms in California die as a result of suicide.
- From hiring police to detect and investigate gun crime to paying medical expenses for gun injuries, gun violence is expensive. Annually, gun violence costs the state approximately $18 billion — just under $500 per Californian.
More about Attorney General Bonta’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention can be found here.
Source: CA. DOJ
