Press Releases

Santa Barbara, CA – Today, Rep. Salud Carbajal issued the following statement on actions President Biden is taking to address gun violence in the United States:

“I lost my older sister to suicide with a firearm at a young age and then, in 2014, our community was rocked by a mass shooting in Isla Vista. California took decisive action after that shooting and enacted a successful red flag law to give our law enforcement the right tools to prevent gun violence and save lives.

The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, which I first introduced with Senator Feinstein in the 115th Congress, incentivizes other states to implement similar red flag laws, so we can expand this successful prevention tool across the country. I’m thankful for President Biden support and Senator Feinstein and I will continue to advocate for this critical legislation to become law.”

Background:

The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, also known as a ‘red flag’ law, is a bill to temporarily keep guns out of the hands of those who are deemed a threat to themselves or others. It establishes a grant program to incentivize states to adopt extreme risk laws that would reduce gun deaths and injuries, while protecting due process rights.

In 2019, there were 2,945 gun deaths in California alone and 235 of them were children or teenagers. Currently, nineteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted some from of red flag laws. Following the 2014 shooting in Isla Vista, California passed an Extreme Risk Protection Order law the same year. Florida passed similar legislation following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The evidence-backed policy has garnered bipartisan support, including from former President Donald Trump.

Representative Carbajal and Senator Feinstein first introduced the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act in the 115th Congress and have reintroduced every Congress since. The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act for the 117th Congress will be reintroduced next week.

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