One of Supervisor Hahn’s top priorities is making LA County a safer place for all. From installing weapons detection technology on the LA Metro system to school violence prevention, she has led several initiatives to protect LA County residents and reduce violent crime.
Weapons detection technology on Metro
Supervisor Hahn has led the charge to install weapons detection technology across the Metro system, and a pilot program to test the technology began in August 2024. The first phase of this pilot program lasted through December 2024. The second phase began in April 2025, in which pillar-style scanners are being installed at various stations on a rotating basis through April 2026.
You can’t bring a weapon onto a plane, or into a concert, or to a Dodgers game. You shouldn’t be able to bring one onto Metro either.
So far, this technology has shown incredible promise. Officers have identified an average of three bladed weapons per shift, and it is deterring people from bringing weapons into stations. Our officers have watched individuals turn around and leave the station when they see the scanners in action.
Strengthening LA County’s Gun Regulations
On February 7, 2023, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Supervisor Hahn’s motion establishing ordinances to enhance gun regulation in LA County. These include:
- Banning the sale of .50 guns and ammunition in unincorporated LA County.
- Prohibiting anyone who is not law enforcement or active military from carrying firearms on LA County property including our beaches, parks, playgrounds, and County buildings.
- Writing an ordinance to establish a 1,000 foot buffer zone in unincorporated areas between gun stores and areas where children gather, like schools, parks, and daycares.
- Writing new regulations to make gun dealers in unincorporated areas follow common sense rules — things like bans on minors in gun stores, requirements for inventory/fingerprint laws, security cameras, and more.
Getting Guns off the Streets
Tackling gun violence takes solutions at all different levels. In addition to enacting common sense regulations on the type and prevalence of guns, Supervisor Hahn has also made it a priority to get as many guns off of our streets as possible. To that end, the Supervisor has hosted a number of gun buy-backs in locations across the Fourth District, which has resulted in members of the public voluntarily turning in more than 2,700 guns.
Improving Awareness of Existing Laws
There are several laws already on the books that could help prevent gun violence if they were better utilized. California’s red flag law that allows people to petition a court for a Gun Violence Restraining Order is a good example of that. When the law is put to use, it mandates the removal of all firearms and ammunition from individuals who are determined to be at risk of causing imminent harm to themselves or others.
But out of the 1,384 GVROs issued in California in 2021, only 54 came out of Los Angeles County. Lack of public awareness in LA County has prevented this law from being as effective as it can be. So on March 7, 2023, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Hilda Solis to create a public awareness campaign, collect and analyze data on GVROs and to streamline the GVRO process.
School Violence Prevention
Supervisor Hahn partnered with LA County Department of Mental Health Director Lisa Wong, Psy.D., in launching a new campaign that encourages high school students to contact the County Department of Mental Health’s School Threat Assessment Response Team (START) if they witness concerning or threatening behavior by a fellow student.
The START program consists of mental health professionals who work with schools and law enforcement and respond to calls about concerning behavior that could potentially lead to school violence. When contacted about a student who might pose a threat to themselves or others, the team comes in to assess the level of risk and provide targeted intervention to the student.