New first-of-its-kind California law could help prevent mass shootings and suicides, supporters say
California will be the first state in the nation to allow family members to petition for the temporary seizure of guns from relatives who are a threat to themselves or others.
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure into law on Tuesday, report the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. The law was enacted in response to the slayings of six youths at the University of California at Santa Barbara in May. Supporters say the measure could help prevent suicides as well as mass shootings.
The law allows judges to issue ex parte gun violence restraining orders that last for 21 days. A court hearing would have to be held within that period before the restraining order could be extended for a year.
Currently, three states–Connecticut, Indiana and Texas—allow law enforcement authorities to seek gun-seizure orders, AP says. California’s new law will allow both law enforcement and family members to seek such orders.
California already allows authorities to seize guns from people convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, who are subject to a domestic violence restraining order, or who are found to be mentally unstable, according to the AP story.
Updated to add missing word at 2:15 p.m.
