California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighted San Diego County’s gun violence prevention efforts and urged law enforcement partners statewide to follow suit.
Law enforcement agencies in the city and county of San Diego have utilized Gun Violence Restraining Orders to help ensure that people who are a danger to themselves or others do not have access to a firearm. According to Bonta’s office, law enforcement in San Diego county issued over 31 percent, or 435 of the 1,384 GVROs issued statewide.
“Whether by helping assist our community members to access Gun Violence Restraining Orders or seizing guns from those deemed too dangerous to possess them, our local law enforcement plays a key role in advancing statewide strategies to reduce gun violence,” Bonta said.
The San Diego Police Department, the Superior Court, and City Attorney Mara W. Elliott established the state’s first comprehensive Gun Violence Restraining Order program in December 2017, in which more than 1,500 firearms were confiscated since its inception.
According to Bonta’s office, removing these firearms is believed to have prevented multiple violent incidents, including mass shootings. As of January 1, 2022, there were nearly 3.2 million known firearm owners in APPS, of which 24,509 are prohibited from owning firearms.
California continues its efforts to advance laws and policies that save lives and prevent gun deaths. In 2021, California saw a 37 percent lower gun death rate than the national average. According to the CDC, California’s gun death rate was the 44th lowest in the nation, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people – compared to 13.7 deaths per 100,000 nationally.
