Gun Violence Prevention

Curbing the epidemic of rising gun violence in LA County and across the nation is an issue of extreme importance to Supervisor Hahn.

Since her time in Congress, the Supervisor has been a staunch supporter of efforts to reduce the number of high-powered weapons of war on our streets. Now, as Supervisor, she has made it a priority to play her part in passing common-sense gun regulations in the areas over which she holds purview, as well as getting as many guns off of the street in the Fourth District as possible.

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 1,500 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.

Supporting Federal Gun Legislation

Lastly, Supervisor Hahn and her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors are continuing to advocate for changes on gun policy at the federal level. In addition to their vote to pass more gun regulations here at home, on February 7, 2023 the Board also voted to send LA County’s support for federal legislation reinstating the assault weapons ban.

We saw how well this ban worked in the decade it was in effect. In the face of rising gun violence and mass shootings, reinstating it is critical to the safety of Americans everywhere.