Attorney General Bonta: Assault Weapons Bans Save Lives

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a coalition of 19 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of Cook County, Illinois’ assault weapons ban. The brief, filed in Viramontes v. County of Cook, urges the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court’s ruling that the law is consistent with the Second Amendment.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to stand behind commonsense gun safety measures for all Americans, we urge the court to uphold Cook County’s ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines,” said Attorney General Bonta. “States and local governments play an essential role in promoting public safety, and that role must include combating threats of mass shootings and senseless gun violence. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to defend these life-saving public safety measures and to ensure cities, counties, and states have the means to protect their residents.” 

The coalition asserts that the lower court’s ruling is consistent with the text of the Second Amendment and the nation’s historical tradition of limiting access to especially dangerous weapons and accessories not commonly used for self-defense. Cook County’s assault weapons restrictions are in line with measures historically taken by states and fall comfortably within state and local authority to regulate firearms. California has been a leader among states that have enacted commonsense laws concerning the use, purchase, transfer, or possession of firearms and firearm accessories, and that have long exercised their power to promote safety, prevent crime, and minimize gun violence within their borders.

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

• Defending California’s commonsense gun-safety 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-safety 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 Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington in filing the brief.

A copy of the brief can be found here.