--Gun Violence Prevention Starts at the Local Level
Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and survivors of the shooting massacre at the Colorado movie theater, where 70 people were shot and 12 killed (as of this writing) on Jan. 20. As the community mourns and the country angrily struggles to understand why these uniquely American massacres keep happening, it is important to recognize that no one in America is immune from gun violence and to assess the public safety of our own communities.
As Brady Campaign President Dan Gross said in a released statement: “It’s time to tell our elected lawmakers – Expressions of sympathy are not enough: We demand action!”
http://www.bradynetwork.org/site/MessageViewer/?em_id=47561.0&dlv_id=58481&pgwrap=n
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates reported that officers officially found an AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 12-guage shotgun and .40 caliber Glock handguns in the theater and car. The Chief was quoted as saying: “Colorado shooting suspect
James Holmes purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition, along with four guns, online within weeks leading up to the shooting. My understanding is all weapons he possessed, he possessed legally. All ammunition he possessed he possessed legally.”
That is an outrage! There is much more this country can do to strengthen nearly
non-existent federal gun laws and prevent future massacres. On average over 100,000 people are shot each year in America and more than 30,000 of them die. Gun violence burdens the American public including taxpayers with direct and indirect medical, legal, and societal costs -- estimated to be $100 billion annually. Despite these staggering statistics, U.S. gun laws remain the weakest of all developed nations. Contrary to what many people think, among other things federal law does NOT:
- Outlaw the sale of assault weapons
- Impose background checks on all gun purchasers
- Require that firearm owners be licensed or register their guns
- Require firearms dealers or ammunition sellers to conduct employee background checks, implementsecurity requirements, obtain liability insurance, and refrain from operatingin residential neighborhoods or near schools, daycare centers, parks or othersensitive areas
- Impose a waiting period, allowing sufficient time for a background check and provide a “cooling off” period
We are fortunate to live in California where we have the strictest gun laws in the
country, which are helping to save lives. In 2008 (most recent data available)
California’s firearm mortality rate declined to 8.3 per 100,000, while the rest
of the country was at 10.4. Still in 2009, 6,053 people were shot in California
and 2,972 of them died. As horrible as those numbers are, they represent a
steady decline in firearms deaths since in 1993 (14,135 people shot and 5,322
died) and the enactment over time of California’s strong gun laws. See CA’s gun
laws here: http://smartgunlaws.org/california-state-law-summary/
However much improvement there has been, 6,000 people shot is still 6,000 too many. More can be done at the State level, such as outlawing the “bullet button” assault weapons that the gun manufacturers are using to get around California’s assault weapons ban. See Brady Campaign Bullet
Button Alert here: http://www.bradynetwork.org/site/MessageViewer/?em_id=47501.0&dlv_id=58461&pgwrap=n
At the local level, city and county officials must step up and do their part to protect the community from gun violence. This election season ask your local candidate if he/she will work to enact local ordinances regulating firearms dealers and ammunition sellers. That’s the question the Contra Costa Brady Campaign will be asking. And we’ll let you know the answers.
