The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will vote on a proposal on Tuesday that would allow county leaders to authorize County legal counsel to take legal actions that would hold firearm manufacturers accountable.
The plan was announced by Board Chairman Nathan Fletcher and Supervisor Terra Lawson- Remer during a news conference outside the County Administration Building. Their announcement comes in the wake of recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
"We want to use this policy to put pressure on manufacturers to be responsible corporate citizens,'' Fletcher said. "They shouldn't be allowed to rake in money and then sit idly by as people using their product perform mass shootings.''
Lawson-Remer said that gun manufacturing “is a multi-billion business that profits off deadly products and these corporations cannot get away with deliberately evading the law, marketing to kids and other reckless and illegal actions.''
She added: “It's time to take our fight for common-sense gun safety from the statehouse to the courthouse, and hold firearm manufacturers accountable in a court of law for their role in deadly shootings.''
Fletcher and Lawson-Remer wrote in the policy that "the urgency of this vote is underscored by the fact that the U.S. Supreme court is poised this summer to potentially weaken restrictions on concealed carry law, the implications of which would reverberate through the county."
In a news release, the county said supervisors do not have a specific lawsuit they wish for the county to join. Their announcement comes after the U.S. Senate revealed a bipartisan agreement on gun safety legislation.
“Approval of this policy will activate the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to consult with the Sheriff and other relevant departments, to work with other law enforcement agencies to receive copies of their reports related to weapon seizure, and bring back recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for options to initiate litigation against gun manufacturers,” a news release reads.
Each year, more than 45,222 people in the U.S. die as a result of gun violence, and tens of thousands more suffer non-fatal gun injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported firearms as the leading cause of death among children and teens.
"We are not naive to think that one action a board of supervisors can take will remove all danger of gun violence from our society but we do believe we have an obligation to do everything we can to protect our communities," Fletcher said.
