(San Francisco, CA) – LGBT, Muslim and gun safety advocates joined state lawmakers in the aftermath of the weekend’s mass shooting in Orlando and the arrest of a heavily armed suspect targeting the Los Angeles Pride Festival to condemn acts of hatred and urge support for a number of gun safety bills scheduled for a key vote in the State Senate tomorrow.
“The loss of so many innocent lives must inspire change. The underlying hate behind the mass murder of LGBT people will not stop equality and the freedom to live authentic lives,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). “We luckily avoided a tragedy in Los Angeles but relying on luck is no way to run a state. By passing comprehensive gun safety laws, we can prevent mass shootings in California.”
The following gun safety bills await a vote in the State Senate Committee on Public Safety tomorrow.
- AB 1664 (Levine, Ting and Chiu): removes loophole in assault weapon ban that allows for “bullet buttons” to easily facilitate changing magazines.
- AB 1673 (Gipson): closes loophole allowing for sale of “ghost guns,” or gun parts and components that can be easily reassembled.
- AB 1674 (Santiago): limits purchase of long guns to one per month, aligning the regulation for hand gun purchases.
- AB 1695 (Bonta): cracks down on false reporting of guns as lost or stolen, a common tactic of illegal gun sellers by prohibiting offenders from purchasing a firearm for ten years.
- AB 2607 (Ting): allows mental health professionals, employers or coworkers to seek restraining orders through a court to temporarily prevent high risk individuals from possessing or obtaining firearms.
“This week, at least 50 families will be planning funerals - this could have been avoided with common sense gun regulation,” said Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland). “Gun violence is tearing apart our communities and traumatizing entire generations. With the smart gun laws the Assembly is proposing and similar efforts across the nation, our state and country can take significant steps toward creating a future free from gun violence.”
"This act of hate against the LGBT community is beyond comprehension. Americans should not have to worry about the threat of gun violence at school, movie theaters, and nightclubs," said Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco). "The tragedy in Orlando underscores the immediate need for common sense gun safety measures."
"The unthinkable human tragedy in Orlando is a call to action to make our communities safe from gun violence," said Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-Marin County). "The California Legislature has a package of bills dealing with gun violence. The nation is looking for leadership. We must put these bills on the Governor's desk this week."
"Our hearts are with the LGBTQ and entire Orlando community,” said Rebecca Rolfe, Executive Director of the San Francisco LGBT Center. “Any violence is unacceptable in our society. And while our community has made historic strides in acceptance and equality, this tragedy is a painful reminder of the dangers LGBTQ people continue to face every day."
“Anti-LGBT hate and vile rhetoric has intensified across the country since we won marriage equality last year, with more than 200 pieces of legislation proposed in states across the country—including those passed in North Carolina and Mississippi,” said Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “Make no mistake, these laws and the pandering of so many elected officials to those who promote homophobia, fosters a toxic climate. As we await more details about the shooting, and the motives of the shooter, we are resolved to double down on our efforts to defeat homophobia, transphobia, anti-Muslim bias, sexism, and racism. The antidote to hate and intolerance is found in unity, inclusion and celebration of difference. We will strive every day to elevate those values and deny hate even one more victim.”
"We join our fellow Americans in expressing our deepest condolences to the victims and their families,” said Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Office. “We are horrified by this tragedy and encourage all people to donate blood, support the various victims' funds, and attend vigils in their neighborhoods. We are stronger when we stand together against hate violence."
“In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in our nation's history, we are find ourselves yet again horrified by the tragic toll of gun violence in America,” said Amanda Wilcox, Legislative and Policy Chair for the California Chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “The 27 California Chapters of the Brady Campaign mourn with the people of Orlando and the LGBTQ community over those precious lives lost. As we stand with Orlando, we remain as committed as ever to our goal of keeping guns out of the hands of people intent on doing such terrible harm.”
Further information about the above mentioned gun safety legislation is available at www.leginfo.ca.gov.