Senate Public Safety Committee Approves SB 1200, Senator Skinner’s Bill to Strengthen California’s Gun Violence Restraining Order

Following powerful testimony by two expert witnesses, SB 1200 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) passed out of the Senate Committee on Public Safety and will now go to the Appropriations Committee. SB 1200 would enhance California’s Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO), a law Skinner authored during her time in the Assembly.

“Gun Violence Restraining Orders get guns away from someone who is threatening to hurt themselves or others,” said Senator Skinner. “SB 1200 improves the process by cutting fees so cost is not an obstacle and ensuring that all guns and firearm components are removed when an order is served.”

Skinner’s new legislation, SB 1200, eliminates any fees for requesting a GVRO and adds ammunition, magazines and firearm components to the list of items which can be confiscated. SB 1200 requires law enforcement personnel that serve the order to verbally ask the recipient if they have firearms or accessories and also requires GVROs that are issued for a 21-day period have a hearing held within that time period to allow for that GVRO to be extended for a year.

Senator Skinner authored AB 1014, the bill that established California’s GVRO, after the Isla Vista shooting in 2014. The law took effect in January 2016 and allows firearms to be taken away if there is credible evidence that the person presents a violent threat. Skinner’s law was the first in the U.S. to allow immediate family members of a person at risk to petition for the order rather than relying solely on law enforcement. California has issued over 250 GVROs since the law was established. There are now five states: California, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon and Washington with similar laws, also known as “Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” on the books.

“When a person is known to be at risk of committing gun violence, like the Parkland High shooter, these orders are an effective intervention that saves lives,” said Senator Skinner.

Senator Nancy Skinner (@NancySkinnerCA) represents the 9th Senate District. She serves as Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee and the Budget Subcommittee on Corrections, Public Safety and the Judiciary.
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