California schools would put parents on notice about safe gun storage at home under new bill
According to California lawmakers, preventing school-based gun violence starts in the home.
While it is a crime for families with youth to improperly store firearms, parents and guardians aren’t always aware of that fact. In an effort to curb gun violence in schools, the state Legislature on Monday passed a bill that would require schools to inform families of the state’s firearm storage laws. SB 452, introduced by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, would charge the state with developing templates for these communications.
“Many of the school shooters in these tragic examples get the weapons from either their home or another family member,” said Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. “The idea of storing weapons is important, and the idea to educate school districts about the importance of safe storage is important.”
The legislation builds on Portantino’s own 2019 bill, which established the Golden State’s safe storage law. It also follows the Senator’s SB 906, signed into law in June, which promotes safe at-home gun storage. No state currently requires all schools to notify parents and guardians about secure storage. If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs AB 452, California will be the first.
States vary in their support for child-access prevention, or CAP, laws, which let prosecutors bring charges against those who let children access firearms via improper storage. A study from policy nonprofit RAND found that such laws could lead to drops in suicide, unintentional injuries and deaths and violent crime.
While RAND found evidence for CAPs’ impact on mass shootings to be inconclusive, the recent horrific loss of life has elevated the issue nonetheless. After this Summer’s Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, lawmakers disclosed that the shooter’s father had sponsored his firearms license despite his son having a history of threats of violence. These instances have driven conversations about the role of parents in America’s high rates of gun violence.
On the federal level, President Joe Biden is pushing to boost safe storage across the country.
The legislation comes three years after the California Department of Education issued an “urgent request” that school districts distribute safe storage reminders to families.
“Schools alone cannot prevent incidents of gun violence,” the Department wrote at the time. “The CDE is dedicated to making our schools as safe as possible, and it is the responsibility of parents, guardians, and household members to store firearms according to California law.”
Now, AB 452 is poised to turn the local plea into a statewide mandate. The bill moved smoothly through Legislature committees and the Assembly floor, where it received only one nay vote. On Monday, it passed the Senate with no opposition. The legislation saw significant backing from gun violence prevention groups, including Everytown for Gun Safety, Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the Brady Campaign.
“The simple fact is: secure storage saves lives,” Kasey Zahner, a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a release earlier this year. “Too often we see the same story play out in our homes and schools — a child gets a hold of an unsecured firearm and devastation follows.”
“Making sure that parents and guardians have information about responsible gun ownership and how to securely store firearms is imperative to keep our kids safe.”
Gun violence prevention groups like Moms Demand Action have pushed for school districts across the U.S. to create notification policies. The groups have successfully pushed through such policies in districts in Blue states like Vermont and California, as well as in Red states like Texas and Colorado.