Press Releases

On the 4^th anniversary of the fatal shooting in Isla Vista, California, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) led lawmakers to demand that House Leadership bring up a vote on a bipartisan package of common-sense gun safety measures, including legislation introduced by Reps. Carbajal, Mike Thompson (CA-05), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Debbie Dingell (MI-12).

Carbajal introduced the Gun Violence Restraining Order Act one year ago today, based on a California law SB 719 enacted in 2014 after the Isla Vista shooting. H.R. 2598 encourages all states to empower families and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to prevent future tragedies due to gun violence. There are now over 100 Democrats and Republicans cosponsoring this legislation in Congress.

“Four years ago, the lives of six University of California, Santa Barbara students were cut far too short in a tragedy that could have been prevented had law enforcement been given the proper tools help those that pose a risk to themselves or to our communities,” said Carbajal. “The anniversary of the tragedy in Isla Vista is yet another painful reminder of the stunning inaction by this Republican Leadership in Congress to address our gun violence epidemic.”

Richard Martinez, the father of an Isla Vista shooting victim said about the Gun Violence Restraining Order: "Our 20 year old son, Christopher, was shot and killed four years ago in the Isla Vista rampage. Every day more than 90 Americans are shot and killed. With each new tragedy, it becomes increasingly hard for Congress to justify their inaction and complicity in our nation's gun violence epidemic. I urge our lawmakers to act - pass this legislation so that not one more family has to live through my family's nightmare."

Since the shooting in Isla Vista, there have been 242 incidents involving guns fired on school campuses.

This Saturday, Rep. Carbajal will join a student-organized ‘Town Hall for Our Lives’ focusing on gun safety legislation reform in San Luis Obispo. The event  is free to attend, but space is limited. Click here for more details and to register to attend the event.

Read the lawmakers full letter here or below:

May 23, 2018

The Honorable Paul Ryan                              The Honorable Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House                                      Democratic Leader

H-232, United States Capitol                          H-204, United States Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515                                Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Ryan and Leader Pelosi:

Today, we write to urge that Congress take sensible action and enact bipartisan gun safety measures that have the potential to save lives and prevent guns from falling in the wrong hands. For far too long, countless families have been tragically torn apart by the horrors of gun violence that currently plagues our country. Parents should not live in fear of sending their children to school and worrying that their loved ones may not come back. Furthermore, our nation’s police officers and law enforcement must have the necessary tools to be able to fulfill their mission and ensure public safety.

While we were grateful to see Congress assert Secretary Alex Azar’s conclusion that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been and can continue to legally pursue research related to the causes of gun violence, we believe more action is necessary. Along with funding this research, there are various bipartisan proposals that have the potential to save lives, such as:

• H.R. 4240, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, which would strengthen background checks that keep guns out of the wrong hands, like criminals and domestic abusers. Under the legislation, the current background system would be expanded to include enforceable background checks on all commercial gun sales—such as online purchases and through classified ads.

• H.R. 2598, the Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) Act, which would encourage states to set up procedures for law enforcement and family members to petition local courts to temporarily disarm individuals whose actions demonstrate that they pose a danger to themselves or others while maintaining second amendment and due process protections. Currently, seven states (California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Vermont, Maryland and Delaware) have recently enacted GVRO laws while Indiana and Connecticut have similar laws to address this issue.

• H.R. 5134, the STOP Straw Purchases Act, which would enhance punishments for straw purchases and crack down on illegal gun trafficking by imposing a kingpin penalty for those who enable gun trafficking enterprises across state lines. According to a 1997 Department of Justice survey, 8.4 percent of state prison inmates who used or possessed a firearm during the offense for which they convinced and incarcerated obtained the weapon from the illegal market.

• H.R. 3207, the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abuser Act, which makes two commonsense updates to federal law to address existing loopholes that make it easy for perpetrators of dating violence and those convicted of misdemeanor stalking to legally access guns. While current federal law prohibits individuals convicted of domestic abuse—the definition does not protect dating partners.

These are common-sense solutions that have bipartisan support in Congress. We have seen too many lives lost to gun violence and stand ready to work with you to enact sensible measures to curb this deadly epidemic.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

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