Family members of victims from this May’s Isla Vista shooting and stabbings gathered on the steps of the state Capitol on Aug. 27 to urge lawmakers to pass a gun violence restraining order bill.
Richard Martinez, father of victim Christopher Michaels-Martinez, spoke at the press conference.
“Many have heard me say the words, ‘Not one more should be killed by preventable gun violence,’” Martinez said. “Nothing can bring back the life of my son, but enacting this bill can help prevent future tragedies like the shooting in Isla Vista.”
The state Senate passed the bill later that day, and the Assembly passed it on Aug. 29; it’s now waiting for the governor’s signature.
In May, six victims and the suspect were shot and stabbed to death on the streets of Isla Vista. The rampage inspired many lawmakers to push for legislation on the state and federal levels.
AB 1014, co-authored by Assembly members Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) and Nancy Skinner (D-Berkley), makes it so that law enforcement agents or immediate family members can present evidence to a judge that a person presents significant danger of injury to himself or others. If the court determines that the person is too dangerous to have guns, the judge can then order a person temporarily prohibited from buying or possessing firearms.
A statement released by Williams’ office said that the framework of the bill not only addresses those who commit mass killings using firearms, but also may help prevent suicides and spousal murders.
“As I learned more about the details of the incident, and that the family of the perpetrator of this violence had made an effort to alert law enforcement of possible danger, it was clear that the system was not equipped to take their input, and I viewed it as a fundamental flaw,” Williams said in the statement.
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) was a co-author of the bill as well. Jackson also authored another bill introduced in the aftermath of the Isla Vista shootings, SB 505, which requires local law enforcement agencies to develop policies encouraging officers to conduct a search of California’s gun database before conducting a welfare check on someone.
The bill headed to Gov. Brown’s desk on Aug. 22.
“We will never know for sure if the outcome in Isla Vista might have been different with a gun database search,” Jackson said in a press release from her office. “But the next time California experiences a similar tragedy, we shouldn’t be left wondering. Searches of the gun database can be done in as little as 90 seconds, and those 90 seconds can help save lives.”
Gov. Brown has until Sept. 30 to decide what to do with the bills. He can sign them, veto them, or do nothing. If he signs a bill or does nothing to it, the bill will become law.
This article appears in Sep 4-11, 2014.