Whether it’s mass shootings, street attacks or violence in the home, gun violence is now a daily threat in our Bay Area communities.
On Friday, Congressman Jimmy Panetta held a roundtable with local leaders about what can be done to stop or at least slow down the crisis.
“We’re inundated and unfortunately it can lead us to be very, very overwhelmed,” he said.
He was joined by Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen who says applications for concealed carry permits have skyrocketed. He would like a mandatory psychological exam for anyone looking to obtain one, among other things.
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“We can definitely do better in safe storage laws, making sure people that do have guns have them safely stored,” said Jonsen. “That’s something that’s very important in this county.”
The congressman touted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed last year, which added protections for domestic violence victims, funded community based violence prevention initiatives, beefed up red flag laws, and enhanced background checks for those under 21.
Panetta says there’s always more to be done.
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“But also universal background checks, a common sense no-brainer law that basically says you’ve got to get a background check before you possess a gun. And it’s going to be our job to not just to continue to push that bill but to fund that bill as well to make sure it gets enacted,” he said.
Advocates from Moms Demand Action were also there Friday talking about incremental, but meaningful, solutions.
“Just this week, the state legislature passed SB-417 which requires gun dealers to post warning signs informing customers of the fact that access to a firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, injury, and death,” said Mariya Hodge.
Another idea was to increase funding for the SJPD task force that aims to take those untraceable ghost guns off the streets.
“Now a huge percentage of our gun crimes are being committed with these ghost guns,” said Lieutenant Paul Hamblin of SJPD.
But one thing that was clear is that those who gathered believe California can lead the nation on this issue from a local level.
“Truly, San Jose is like a national model of how to get that done and I’m not just saying that to be nice,” said Mike McLibely of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “I’ve seen many many cities now in the course of my career who are trying to do this work and San Jose is many decades ahead of most cities and has a very low homicide rate as a result.”
Panetta said it’s these discussions that help shape the agenda when he returns to Washington, to take action, and work to fund these local programs.
