Gabby Giffords Applauds CA Governor For Signing New Bill To Close Hate Crime Gap In State Gun Laws

October 15, 2017 — Today, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Co-Founder of the gun violence prevention organization Americans for Responsible Solutions, applauded the signing by California Governor Jerry Brown of a new bipartisan, commonsense gun safety bill into law, which will close a gap in California law that permits individuals convicted of hate crimes to possess and acquire firearms within 10 years of conviction. The legislation, called The Disarm Hate Act (AB 785), was drafted and sponsored by ARS’ partner organization, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:

About AB 785

Under California law, individuals convicted of any of roughly 40 separate misdemeanors are prohibited from owning or acquiring guns for 10 years after conviction, unless they successfully petition a court to demonstrate that they are not a threat to public safety. However, existing law allows people convicted of hate crimes to access guns immediately after conviction, even though the majority of these offenses are violent and dangerous.

Between 2010 and 2014, roughly 43,000 hate crimes committed in the United States involved the use or threatened use of a gun. And since 2014, hate crime incidents have become more numerous and more vicious, both in California and across the United States, posing a serious threat to targeted groups and innocent lives.

The Disarm Hate Act (AB 785), which was drafted and sponsored by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, would prohibit people convicted of hate crime misdemeanors from accessing lethal weapons within 10 years of conviction, unless they can successfully demonstrate to a court that they are not a threat to public safety.