New Bill Aims to Strengthen CA’s ‘Red Flag’ Law

State Senators Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, announced new legislation that would bolster California’s “Red Flag” law and other state statutes that prevent gun violence.

SB 899 would make it easier for California courts to ensure that people who are deemed a threat to themselves or others no longer have access to firearms. SB 899 would establish uniform standards for California’s gun violence restraining order (GVRO) law, also known as the “Red Flag” law, and the state’s other firearm-prohibiting restraining order laws. The new standards would conform to recently enacted rules governing California’s domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) law.

“A decade ago, I authored AB 1014, the country’s first ‘Red Flag’ law, designed to keep firearms out of the hands of those threatening violence to themselves or others. California has also enacted laws to help victims of domestic violence, schools and workplaces get guns away from those threatening harm. But too many people don’t turn over their guns as ordered,” Sen. Skinner said. “By giving our courts and law enforcement tools to ensure that guns are surrendered, SB 899 will make our gun violence prevention laws work as intended.”

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