Firearms

LOS ANGELES – As part of a statewide effort to address gun violence, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today was joined by local leaders for a roundtable discussion. The roundtable in Los Angeles is the second in a series of meetings led by Attorney General Bonta across the state to bring together leaders of community-based organizations to discuss best practices in addressing gun violence. The primary objective of the roundtables is to formulate effective approaches for addressing gun violence in communities, foster knowledge about accessible resources for the public, and enhance partnerships statewide to more effectively prevent shootings and interrupt cycles of trauma and violence in California. 

“Gun violence is an epidemic that pervades our society,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Just this year alone, we’ve already had 116 mass shootings and we’re only midway through April. This roundtable discussion is one of the many ways we are fighting this disease. Preventing gun violence must begin in our communities by strengthening relationships and fostering an environment of support and collaboration. I’m proud to stand with our local partners to identify best practices, foster community involvement, and work toward community-driven solutions to eliminate gun violence and protect survivors. As California Attorney General, I am doubling down on California’s gun safety efforts: I am defending our commonsense gun safety laws in court, cracking down on enforcing those laws, and working in collaboration with local community violence intervention and prevention experts to disrupt cycles of gun violence.” 

As we celebrate a downward trend in violence, we must remember that any lives lost by gun violence is too many—we aim for zero: zero homicides and zero gunshots,” said Ben “Taco” Owens of Detours Mentoring Group. “Looking forward, we must collectively continue advocating for more investment in community violence intervention.”

"As a survivor and long-time activist in this movement, I have learned that so many instances of gun violence are preventable - especially when it comes to gun suicides and unintentional shootings,” said Mia Livas Porter of Moms Demand Action. “Gun violence is a public health epidemic. And it is going to take every single one of us to address this uniquely American crisis - from parents asking about safe gun storage on playdates to our electeds and government agencies at every level using their platform to encourage gun safety. “

“The first of all civil rights is safety. And the first of all freedoms is freedom from violence,” said Connie Rice, Member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and Co-crafter of LA’s Pioneering Violence Reduction Strategy. “The violence and gun reduction pioneers joining Attorney General Bonta today know that safety in high violence neighborhoods requires far more than handcuffs—it requires concerted community-government partnership and the resources to carry out all-hands-on- deck violence reduction strategies that lead to safer neighborhoods.” 

As part of the effort to advance justice for all Californians, California Attorney General Rob Bonta took quick action upon entering office to establish the Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement (CARE) within the California Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2021. CARE works directly with community organizations, state and local elected officials, and members of the public to help ensure the inclusion of diverse perspectives in the state’s work. Specifically, CARE focuses on cultivating relationships with historically marginalized and underrepresented communities in line with DOJ’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of its work on behalf of the people of California, including in the fight for environmental, economic, and social justice.

In September of 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the launch of the CA DOJ’s first-in-the-nation Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), a unit dedicated to developing strategies and working with stakeholders statewide to address the gun violence epidemic. This innovative new office — the first Office of Gun Violence Prevention under the leadership of a state attorney general — provides centralized support from the DOJ for partners to implement strategic and innovative programs to reduce gun violence.  The OGVP’s mission is to reduce and prevent gun violence, firearm injury, and related trauma. The OGVP supports DOJ’s ongoing gun violence reduction efforts led by the Bureau of Firearms and DOJ's litigation sections — including the Department’s seizure of firearms from dangerous individuals using the  Armed and Prohibited Persons System, (APPS), prosecution of firearms trafficking cases, and defense of California’s commonsense gun laws. The OGVP will examine a broad range of factors — from firearm availability to effective resources for crisis prevention — to reduce the harm caused by firearms and make Californians healthier and safer. The OGVP aims to reduce gun violence by promoting research and data collection, increasing awareness about effective legal and policy strategies, and collaborating with federal, state, and local partners.

In August 2023, the office released its first data report to provide a robust review of gun violence data in California and throughout the U.S. to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence. The report highlighted California’s successes in preventing gun violence, and it shined a light on successful strategies and further areas for improvements. For example, over the last 30 years, California has reduced its gun violence rate compared to the rest of the United States; once 50% above average, California’s firearm homicide rate is now 33% below the rest of the United States. Additionally, if the firearm mortality rate in the rest of the United States had matched California’s between 2013-2022, there would have been nearly 140,000 fewer firearm-related deaths nationwide in that decade alone. The report also emphasized the importance of community-based efforts to protect survivors and interrupt cycles of violence: people who had survived a gun assault injury in California were over 60 times more likely to be killed in another shooting compared to the statewide average. 

In November 2023, the office released its second data report that provided an in-depth look at the ties between domestic violence and firearms. The report examined data illustrating the impact of firearms-related domestic violence, including both family and intimate partner-related violence with firearms. The report documented California’s long-term progress in reducing domestic violence involving firearms and recent challenges arising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the report highlighted California’s efforts to empower and protect survivors by providing a range of support services, offering crisis intervention and safety planning options, providing for Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROs), and enforcing laws to protect against gun violence.

Attorney General Bonta stands with partners throughout the state to continue tackling the issue of gun violence strategically and aggressively by:

• Defending California’s commonsense gun laws, including its assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines.
• Educating the public on gun violence prevention through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, including through data reports issued by the office to provide a robust review of gun violence and gun-related domestic violence data in California and throughout the U.S. and to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence.
•  Advocating for gun laws including by sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry and supporting The Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act (AB 28) to make long-term investments in community-based gun violence prevention programs, school mental health, gun crime investigations, and victim services.
• Working to strengthen federal laws to protect the public from ghost guns.
• Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the  Armed and Prohibited Persons System,  and through multiagency sweeps in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, conducting operations targeting individuals attempting to illegally purchase guns, and collaborating with local law enforcement partners.
• Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers, and by putting a stop to the sale of illegal assault weapons in Orange County.
• Calling for an investigation into an ammunition plant that sells military grade ammunition to the public that is subsidized by the American taxpayer.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general urging the United States Supreme Court to review a decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that held that a rule by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regulating ghost guns was inconsistent with the federal Gun Control Act of 1968. The coalition filed the brief in support of ATF defending the “Final Rule” in VanDerStok v. Garland that went into effect in January 2023, and recognizes that weapon parts kits and certain partially complete frames and receivers are “firearms” under the Gun Control Act. Under federal law, manufacturers and dealers must keep records of, conduct background checks on, and serialize “firearms” to prevent them from falling into the hands of children or criminals—and to allow the weapons to be traced if they are used to commit crimes. ATF issued the rule to impose those requirements on ghost guns.

“These requirements are crucial in keeping ghost guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and critical to preventing and solving violent, firearm-related crimes,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In the state of California, we have seen firsthand the effectiveness of our commonsense gun laws and it is imperative that similar laws are implemented nationwide. Each year, an increasing number of unregistered firearms and components find their way into our state from areas with laxer gun control laws. This not only leaves law enforcement in the dark but also puts our communities at risk. It is a heartbreaking reality that children and teenagers in our country are more likely to lose their lives due to guns than any illness or accident. We cannot accept this as the norm which is why I am committed to advocating for regulations by the ATF in order to ensure the well-being and security of all Californians.” 

The lawsuit, filed by individual gun owners and pro-gun groups, seeks to block ATF’s rule that would help law enforcement protect communities from ghost guns, or illegal firearms that lack a serial number. The unserialized weapons allow unlicensed manufacturers and illegal possessors to bypass state laws, including California's requirements on firearm ownership recording and background checks, rendering them largely untraceable by law enforcement. This is the fourth time Attorney General Bonta has defended the ATF’s rule, as he joined similar briefs for lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and another in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. 

The rule regulates ghost guns by applying critical definitions in the Gun Control Act. Specifically, the rule makes it clear that weapon parts kits and partially complete frames or receivers — the key building blocks for ghost guns — are “firearms” under the Act if they can be readily converted to function as such or are sold with a compatible jig or template. In applying the definition of “firearms” to ghost guns, the rule helps ensure that these kits and partially complete frames or receivers are subject to the same serialization and background check requirements as conventionally manufactured guns. This helps close a dangerous loophole in firearms regulation that enabled people to evade existing gun laws and traffic ghost guns into states, like California, that prohibit these dangerous weapons. The brief filed today argues that the rule falls within the Gun Control Act and was designed to fill in the gaps in state-by-state enforcement.

A copy of the brief can be found here.

DOJ seized 1,443 firearms through the APPS program, including 88 ghost guns 

DOJ contacted more individuals than ever before — more than 25,000

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the release of the 2023 Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS) annual program report. In 2006, California became the first state in the nation to establish a system for identifying and recovering illegally possessed firearms from individuals who fall into a prohibited status that at one point purchased the firearm legally. The APPS database works to identify individuals who legally procured firearms and later failed to relinquish those weapons after they became prohibited from possessing them. It remains one of the only systems of its kind in the nation. In general, prohibited persons in APPS include individuals who have been convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, are subject to a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness. Through the APPS program in 2023, DOJ recovered 1,443 firearms from illegally armed individuals — including 683 handguns, 364 rifles, 216 shotguns, 39 assault weapons, 88 ghost guns, 51 receivers or frames, and 2 short-barreled shotguns.

“I take great pride in the efforts of our Special Agents as they work diligently to protect and serve the citizens of California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “These courageous individuals are saving lives. They may not always receive public recognition, but their tireless commitment is proactively preventing incidents of gun violence by removing illegally possessed firearms from our communities. As the primary law enforcement official for California, my utmost priority is upholding public safety and protecting our communities from the looming threat posed by gun violence. When firearms fall into the wrong hands, it endangers all of us. We will persist in collaborating with the Governor's Office, Legislature, and local partners to effectively tackle this issue of gun violence head-on.”

The Bureau of Firearms (BOF) within the California Department of Justice's (DOJ) Division of Law Enforcement leads DOJ’s APPS efforts. The 2023 APPS report provides an analysis of the APPS database, a breakdown of Gun Violence Reduction Program Awards, and describes how BOF staff and Special Agents increased enforcement efforts and collaborated with local law enforcement.

Key statistics from the 2023 report include:  

• For the second year in a row, more individuals were removed from the prohibited list than added in 2023. In 2023, DOJ removed 9,051 people from the APPS database of armed and prohibited persons and added 8,633 people, a decrease of 1.75%. Substantial decreases have only occurred in three previous years since the APPS program came into existence.
• In total, agents made approximately 25,500 contacts in 2023. DOJ made 1,500 more contacts in 2023 compared to 2022. This is the highest number of contacts since the APPS program came into existence.
  • 2023 saw the fewest additions to the prohibited persons list since 2014, following a steady decline across the past several years. This decrease is due in part to the recent emphasis on seizing firearms at or near the time of prohibition, consistent with DOJ’s recent recommendations.   
  • The number of people in the APPS database of recorded firearm owners grew by 144,242 in 2023. These individuals did not own a registered firearm at the start of 2023 and purchased a firearm during the year. 
• A key focus for APPS enforcement efforts is recovering firearms from people who are illegally armed in violation of court restraining orders. In 2023, individuals prohibited, at least in part, due to a restraining order made up over 50% of those disarmed due to APPS efforts. This shows the crucial role APPS plays in protecting victims of domestic violence, workplace violence, and other victims from further or potential harm.
• DOJ’s agents seized a total of 88 ghost guns in 2023, a 63% increase compared to the 54 ghost guns seized during 2022 APPS investigations. 

2023 APPS Operations

DOJ collaborates with local law enforcement agencies throughout the state on individual APPS operations, as well as sweeps, or operations that occur over multiple days within a specific area. A list of operations can be found at the back of the report. Some notable examples include:  

Los Angeles County: In January of 2023, a Los Angeles resident attempted to purchase ammunition and was flagged as prohibited through the ammunition eligibility check process. During the service of the search warrant, agents located one unregistered assault weapon, five rifles, three shotguns, one handgun, one large-capacity magazine, six standard capacity magazines, and approximately 3,700 rounds of ammunition. 

Orange County: In July of 2023, DOJ identified a subject who resided in Villa Park, California, and was prohibited from owning or possessing firearms due to having a domestic violence restraining order issued against him. Agents obtained a search warrant for the residence and during the service of that warrant they located nine handguns, four shotguns, one assault rifle, 13 rifles, 30 ammunition magazines, and 405 rounds of ammunition.

San Luis Obispo County:  In October of 2023, DOJ identified a subject who resided in Paso Robles, California, who was prohibited from owning or possessing firearms due to a mental health commitment. The subject had 50 firearms recorded in his name. Agents contacted the subject, searched his residence, located and seized 281 long guns (both shotguns and rifles), 227 handguns, 92 standard capacity magazines, 25 high-capacity magazines, and approximately 28,000 rounds of ammunition.

About the Bureau of Firearms

DOJ’s BOF serves the people of California through education, regulation, and enforcement actions regarding the manufacture, sale, ownership, safety training, and transfer of firearms and ammunition. BOF staff are leaders in providing firearms expertise and information to law enforcement, legislators, and the general public in a comprehensive program to promote legitimate and responsible firearms possession and use by California residents. BOF is looking to hire additional Special Agents and more information on assessments for relevant job openings can be found on DOJ's website here: oag.ca.gov/careers/exams.  

A copy of the report can be found here. 

A video highlighting the work that the APPS team does can be found here.

Large-capacity magazine and assault weapons bans help prevent mass shootings, are consistent with Second Amendment

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of Connecticut’s restrictions on large-capacity magazines (LCMs) and assault weapons in National Association for Gun Rights v. Lamont.

“Large capacity magazines and assault weapons have been used in many horrific mass shootings around the country, including right here in California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Restricting large capacity magazines and assault weapons is consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision and helps us prevent unspeakable tragedies like the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults. Our commonsense gun safety measures here in California have a track record of reducing the threat of gun violence in our communities and we support any state that does the same.” 

For the last three decades, California has restricted the manufacture, distribution, transportation, importation, sale, lending, and possession of firearms that qualify as “assault weapons” under California law. Those weapons have specific tactical enhancements or configurations that make the weapons more dangerous to the public and law enforcement and more susceptible to criminal misuse. Data reflect that assault weapons in general are used disproportionately in crime relative to their market presence, that they are used often to commit mass shootings, and that they inflict more numerous and more extensive injuries than other weapons.

In California, it has been illegal to manufacture, import, keep or offer for sale, give, or lend LCMs with more than 10 rounds of ammunition since 2000. It has been illegal to purchase and receive LCMs since 2013. Proposition 63, which was passed by Californians in 2016, added a ban on the possession of LCMs. Firearms equipped with LCMs are estimated to account for up to 36% of crime guns nationwide. In mass shootings where four or more were people killed from 2015 to 2022, 60% involved firearms with LCMs and accounted for a third of all mass shooting deaths and more than 80% of all mass shooting injuries. 

A copy of the brief can be found here.

 SAN FRANCISCO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest of a suspect in Richmond with a large cache of illegal firearms, including assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and approximately one million rounds of ammunition. The suspect is alleged to be legally barred from owning weapons.

“This arrest demonstrates exactly why the Armed and Prohibited Persons System is vital for the safety of our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In our efforts to retrieve guns from a prohibited individual, we found hundreds of allegedly illegal weapons and approximately one million rounds of ammunition. I am grateful for our Bureau of Firearms agents’ and local law enforcement partners' work in getting these illegal weapons out of the hands of this prohibited individual.”

On January 31, 2024, agents from the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Firearms (BOF) Contra Costa Anti-Violence Support Effort (CASE) Task Force assisted by the BOF Dublin office and Contra Costa County Probation Officers served a search warrant at the suspect's residence in Richmond. During the search, several suspected grenades were discovered and the Walnut Creek Police Department Bomb Squad and Travis Air Force Base Bomb Squad were asked to respond, and the grenades were found to be inert. After a thorough search of the residence, DOJ agents seized approximately 11 military-style machine guns, 133 handguns, 37 rifles, 60 assault rifles, 7 shotguns, 20 silencers, 4 flare guns, 3,000 large capacity magazines, approximately one million rounds of miscellaneous caliber ammunition, and dozens of rifle receivers and pistol frames.

Visuals of the weapons seized can be found here: image 1, image 2, image 3, video

In 2006, California became the first state in the nation to establish a system for tracking firearm owners who fall into a prohibited status. The APPS database works to identify individuals who lawfully procured firearms and later became prohibited from owning or possessing them. In general, prohibited persons in APPS include individuals who were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, were placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness. The 2022 APPS Report was released in April of 2023 and the 2023 APPS Report will be released in March 2024. DOJ’s BOF serves the people of California through education, regulation, and enforcement actions regarding the manufacture, sale, ownership, safety training, and transfer of firearms and ammunition. BOF staff are leaders in providing firearms expertise and information to law enforcement, legislators, and the general public in a comprehensive program to ensure legitimate and responsible firearm possession and use by California residents. BOF is looking to hire additional special agents and more information on assessments for relevant job openings can be found on DOJ's website at oag.ca.gov/careers/exams.

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today will appeal the district court decision striking down California’s ammunition laws adopted by Proposition 63 and amended by SB 1235, and will seek an immediate stay of the district court decision pending appeal to maintain California’s life-saving, constitutional restrictions on ammunition in Rhode v. Bonta. These commonsense ammunition laws require that transactions take place in face-to-face interaction at a licensed ammunition vendor, that a background check be submitted before the ammunition sale or transfer may be completed, that a purchaser demonstrate proof of lawful presence in this country, and that ammunition vendors report certain information to the California Department of Justice. Attorney General Bonta will urge the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the district court’s decision, which will ensure that these vital public safety protections remain in place to prevent gun-related deaths and injuries in California communities.

“These laws were put in place as a safeguard and a way of protecting the people of California — and they work,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will continue to fight for our authority to keep Californians safe. We will move promptly to seek an immediate stay of this decision so these ammunition laws can remain in effect. The Supreme Court was clear that Bruen did not create a regulatory straitjacket for states — and we believe that the district court got this wrong. We will move quickly to correct this  dangerous mistake. We will not stop in our efforts to protect the safety of communities, and Californians’ rights to go about their business without fear of becoming victims of gun violence, while at the same time respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.”

With the proliferation of self-assembled, fully-functional, and unserialized “ghost guns” that are typically made from user-friendly kits purchased online, these ammunition laws serve as a backstop to the acquisition of firearms by prohibited persons. Ghost guns have hampered the ability of law enforcement to trace crime guns and investigate firearm trafficking. The background checks for ammunition purchases help to identify prohibited persons that have illegally acquired or manufactured firearms and prevent them from acquiring ammunition for use in those weapons.

The plaintiffs challenge a California law that requires the California Department of Justice to pre-approve all ammunition sales, which must be conducted by, or pass through, a licensed ammunition vendor. The plaintiffs allege that the law violates the Second Amendment, the Dormant Commerce Clause, and Equal Protection Clause, and that the law is preempted by federal law. The federal district court previously granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, prohibiting the Attorney General from enforcing the law pending resolution of the case. The next day, the Attorney General secured a stay of that decision from the Ninth Circuit, allowing California to continue to enforce the law while the case is pending. After New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen was decided in June 2022, the Ninth Circuit vacated the preliminary injunction and remanded the case back to the federal district court. The Attorney General will now once again appeal to the Ninth Circuit.

Gun violence remains a growing threat to public safety throughout the nation, as mass shootings are on the rise. 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. In 2021, California was ranked as the #1 state for gun safety by Giffords Law Center, and the state saw a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average. According to the CDC, California’s gun death rate was the 44th lowest in the nation and the gun death rate for children is 58% lower than the national average.

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement ahead of arguments in the Miller v. Bonta appeal and in defense of California’s assault weapons ban before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Miller v. Bonta is a Second Amendment challenge to California’s restrictions on rifles, pistols, and shotguns that qualify as assault weapons under California Penal Code section 30515. The case is set for oral arguments before a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit today. 

“Weapons of war have no place on California’s streets,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This has been state law in California for decades, and we will continue to fight for our authority to keep our citizens safe from firearms that cause mass casualties. Our briefs have been filed, and we will continue our defense of this time-tested, essential, lifesaving law. We will not stop in our efforts to protect the safety of communities so that Californians may live without fear of becoming victims of gun violence, while at the same time respecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.” 

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California found elements of California’s assault weapon restrictions unconstitutional. On October 19, 2023, Attorney General Bonta appealed the decision, and on October 28, 2023, secured an administrative stay of the decision by the Ninth Circuit. Currently, the assault weapons restrictions remain in effect. 

Oral arguments in Miller v. Bonta are being heard the day after California Attorney General Bonta was joined by local leaders in Sacramento for a roundtable discussion to address gun violence. The roundtable is the first in a series of meetings led by Attorney General Bonta across the state to bring together leaders of nonprofits, houses of worship, and community groups to discuss best practices in preventing gun violence. Attorney General Bonta stressed the importance of preventing gun violence at the roundtable, which was held one year after the shooting in Half Moon Bay, in which seven victims were killed and one was injured on January 23, 2023; and another shooting in Monterey Park, California, in which 10 people were murdered and nine were injured on January 21, 2023.

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today was joined by local leaders in Sacramento for a roundtable discussion to address gun violence. The roundtable is the first in a series of meetings led by Attorney General Bonta across the state to bring together leaders of non-profits, churches, and community groups to discuss best practices in preventing gun violence. The primary objective of the roundtables is to formulate effective approaches for addressing gun violence in communities, fostering knowledge about accessible resources for the public, and enhancing partnerships statewide to avert gun violence occurrences more effectively. Attorney General Bonta stressed the importance of preventing gun violence at the roundtable, which falls a year after the shooting in Half Moon Bay killing seven victims and injuring one on January 23, 2023; and just after another shooting in Monterey Park, California, where 10 people were gunned down and nine injured on January 21, 2023.

“California continues to collectively mourn those lost to gun violence, including those we lost due to the horrific shootings in Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park. We continue to heal together, and we look for ongoing solutions to prevent America’s disease and its effect on our communities. Preventing gun violence must begin in our communities by strengthening relationships and fostering an environment of support and collaboration,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “I’m proud to stand with our local partners to identify best practices, foster community involvement, and work toward community-driven solutions to eliminate gun violence. As California Attorney General, I am doubling down on California’s gun safety efforts by defending our commonsense gun safety laws in court, cracking down on enforcing those laws, and working in collaboration with local community violence intervention and prevention experts to disrupt cycles of gun violence.”

“For too long gun violence has caused tremendous trauma for so many families,” said Kim Williams, Hub Manager at Sacramento Building Healthy Communities. “Preventing gun violence requires a collective effort so we must come together as community organizations, system leaders and residents, allocate more resources, and work tirelessly towards a common goal. By joining forces, we can build safer communities where our loved ones can thrive without the fear of gun violence.”

“Mutual Assistance Network is an essential part of an intentional continuum of violence prevention that seeks community led and racial equity centered solutions to gun violence,” said Danielle Lawrence, Executive Director of Mutual Assistance Network. “As we collectively and collaboratively strive for a safer future, we call on all individuals, organizations, institutions, and policymakers to join hands in addressing the multifaceted challenges and impacts of gun violence to our communities in Sacramento County.” 

“We’ve all seen and experienced the impact of gun violence across our state,” said Senior Pastor Les Simmons of South Sacramento Christian Center. “Can you imagine a world without Violence? It is my hope that the Office of Gun Violence Prevention has that very imagination and action towards a collaborative solution, creating space for a deeper understanding between community lead organizations and other public safety entities for a shared vision of ending gun violence.”

In September of 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the launch of the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) first-in-the-nation Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), dedicated to developing strategies and working with stakeholders statewide to address the gun violence epidemic. This innovative new office — the first Office of Gun Violence Prevention under the leadership of a state attorney general — provides centralized support from DOJ for partners to implement strategic and innovative programs to reduce gun violence.  The Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s (OGVP) mission is to reduce and prevent gun violence, firearm injury, and related trauma. OGVP supports DOJ’s ongoing gun violence reduction efforts led by the Bureau of Firearms and DOJ's litigation sections — including the DOJ’s seizure of firearms from dangerous individuals using the Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS), prosecution of firearms trafficking cases, and defense of California’s commonsense gun laws. OGVP examines a broad range of factors — from firearm availability to effective resources for crisis prevention — to reduce the harm caused by firearms and make Californians healthier and safer. OGVP aims to reduce gun violence by promoting research and data collection, increasing awareness about effective legal and policy strategies, and collaborating with federal, state, and local partners.

In 2023, the office released its first data report to provide a robust review of gun violence data in California and throughout the U.S. to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence. The report highlighted California’s successes in preventing gun violence, and it shined a light on successful strategies and further areas for improvements. For example, over the last 30 years, California has reduced its gun violence rate compared to the rest of the United States; once 50% above average, California’s firearm homicide rate is now 33% below the rest of the United States. Additionally, if the firearm mortality rate in the rest of the United States had matched California’s between 2013-2022, there would have been nearly 140,000 fewer firearm-related deaths nationwide in that decade alone. 

Also In 2023, the office released the second data report that provided an in-depth look at the ties between domestic violence and firearms. The report examined data illustrating the impact of firearms-related domestic violence, including both family and intimate partner-related violence with firearms. The report documented California’s long-term progress in reducing domestic violence involving firearms, and  highlighted California’s efforts to empower and protect survivors by providing a range of support services, offering crisis intervention and safety planning options, providing for Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROs), and enforcing laws to protect against gun violence.

Attorney General Bonta stands with partners throughout the state to continue tackling the issue of gun violence strategically and aggressively by:

• Defending California’s commonsense gun laws, including its assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines.
• Educating the public on gun violence prevention through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, including through data reports issued by the office to provide a robust review of gun violence and gun-related domestic violence data in California and throughout the U.S. and to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence.
• Advocating for gun laws including by sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry and supporting The Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act (AB 28) to make long-term investments in community-based gun violence prevention programs, school mental health, gun crime investigations, and victim services.
• Working to strengthen federal laws to protect the public from ghost guns, and successfully defending California’s laws to prevent gun violence.
• Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, and through multiagency sweeps in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, conducting operations targeting individuals attempting to illegally purchase guns, and collaborating with local law enforcement partners.
• Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers, and by putting a stop to the sale of illegal assault weapons in Orange County.
• Calling for an investigation into an ammunition plant that sells military grade ammunition to the public that is subsidized by the American taxpayers.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, submitted a letter to the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention calling for a federal investigation after recent reports that billions of rounds of military-grade ammunition manufactured at the federally-owned Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri were sold on the civilian commercial market, and used in many of the most tragic mass shootings in recent history.

“Disturbing reports show that American taxpayers have been unintentionally and unknowingly subsidizing the production of military-grade ammunition that was used in tragic acts of gun violence,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The ammunition produced by Lake City is specifically intended for military purposes and does not have a place within our communities. We hope this investigation sets a precedent and ensures that that the U.S. government will no longer subsidize the sale of military-grade weapons and ammunition to civilians.”

The U.S. Department of Defense provides subsidies and has allegedly invested more than $860 million to the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant so that it can be kept ready to meet large-scale production needs during times of war. Yet according to recent news reports, Lake City rounds have been sold on the civilian market and have become the ammunition of choice for use in mass shootings, including:

• The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL, in which 17 children and adults were murdered and 17 children and adults were wounded.
•  The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, PA, in which 11 people were murdered as they gathered for Shabbat morning service and Torah study, and an additional six were wounded.
•  The Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, in which 19 elementary school students and two of their teachers were murdered, and an additional 17 people were wounded.
• The massacre at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY, in which 10 people were murdered and three were wounded.

In the letter, the states recognize the critical importance of military readiness, and of making sure that the military has adequate supplies and reserve production capacity to meet its needs. However, the attorneys general assert that the federal government can and must do more to ensure that military-grade weapons remain out of civilian hands and that tax dollars are not used to subsidize crime and gun violence. The letter urges the Office to investigate the contracting processes that led to these sale practices, to take action to ensure that military-grade and military-subsidized ammunition stays out of civilian hands, and to issue a public report with recommendations about how to end the diversion of military ammunition available for public purchase. 

The California Department of Justice has worked hand in hand with the federal government and President Biden to bolster the national fight against gun violence in America by:

• Supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
• Joining a letter in support of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives rule regarding firearm background checks.
• Supporting the establishment Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Attorney General Bonta stands with partners throughout the state to continue tackling the issue of gun violence strategically and aggressively by:

• Defending California’s commonsense gun laws, including its assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines.
• Educating the public on gun violence prevention through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, including through data reports issued by the office to provide a robust review of gun violence and gun-related domestic violence data in California and throughout the U.S. and to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence.
• Advocating for gun laws including by sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry, working to strengthen federal laws to protect the public from ghost guns, and successfully defending California’s laws to prevent gun violence.
• Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, and through multiagency sweeps in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, conducting operations targeting individuals attempting to illegally purchase guns, and collaborating with local law enforcement partners.
• Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers, and by putting a stop to the sale of illegal assault weapons in Orange County.

Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia

A copy of the letter can be found here.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a coalition of 22 attorneys general, filed a brief in support of a federal law that prohibits firearms dealers from selling handguns and handgun ammunition to persons under the age of 21. The case, McCoy v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, is currently pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and addresses a Second Amendment challenge to 18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1). States across the nation protect their citizens through the application of similar age-based restrictions on the possession, purchase, sale, transfer, or use of firearms because such laws have proven to promote public safety and curb gun violence within their borders.

“Federal law has prevented federally licensed firearms retailers from selling handguns and ammunition for handguns to individuals under the age of 21 for nearly six decades,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As firearms continue to lead to more than 45,000 deaths per year, it is unwise to overturn this long-standing federal prohibition that helps reduce the scourge of gun violence in our communities. We support these federal regulations and those of sister states aimed at ending gun violence through commonsense laws that improve public safety."

In the brief, the states assert that the federal law is constitutional under the Second Amendment, as it is consistent with a historical tradition of federal and state regulations promoting gun safety and protecting communities from gun violence. The coalition argues that the district court’s decision misreads the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which preserves federal authority to regulate firearms through laws that are “consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding.”

Attorney General Bonta urges the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the lower court decision because:

• The Second Amendment allows governments to enact measures to promote gun safety and protect against gun violence that are consistent with historical tradition. 
• The challenged restriction is consistent with measures taken by many states and upheld on historical grounds by courts across the country. 

Attorney General Bonta stands with partners throughout the state to continue tackling the issue of gun violence strategically and aggressively by:

• Defending California’s commonsense gun laws, including its assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines.
• Educating the public on gun violence prevention through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, including through the first-ever data report issued by the office to provide a robust review of gun violence data in California and throughout the U.S. and to help guide policy and strategy discussions related to reducing gun violence.
• Advocating for gun laws including by sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry, working to strengthen federal laws to protect the public from ghost guns, and successfully defending California’s laws to prevent gun violence.
• Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, and through multiagency sweeps in the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, conducting operations targeting individuals attempting to illegally purchase guns, and collaborating with local law enforcement partners.
• Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers, and by putting a stop to the sale of illegal assault weapons in Orange County 

Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Dealaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersy, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

A copy of the brief can be found here.