CALIFORNIA GUN LAWS AND FIREARMS VIOLENCE STATISTICS FOR CALIFORNIA

For Release:   Thursday, March 22, 2001

This fact sheet provides background information for journalists covering today’s shooting at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, California.

California Firearm Laws [1]

• Purchasers of concealable weapons must fill out and submit a California Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) form and undergo safety training.
• Secondary sales between private individuals including those at gun shows must go through a licensed firearms dealer.
• Ten-day waiting period required for purchase of any firearm to allow time for a background check
• Handgun possession by minors is prohibited with numerous exceptions, e.g. being accompanied by a parent or guardian
• California has a Child Access Prevention (CAP) law which makes it a felony to leave a firearm accessible to anyone under the age 16.
•  In 1989 California banned a wide range of assault weapons by name. The California legislature recently tightened up the ban addressing threats posed by “sporterized” assault weapons which circumvented the ban. The state also passed one-handgun-a-month legislation and a mandatory trigger lock bill.

1998 Firearms Violence Statistics for California

YOUTH

• 71.5% of homicides of youth aged 18 years or younger were committed with a firearm.
• 62.7% of homicides of youth aged 18 years or younger were committed with a handgun.
• In 16.8% of firearm homicides, the victim was aged
  18 years or younger.
• In 16.5% of handgun homicides, the victim was aged
  18 years or younger.

ALL AGES

69.5% of all homicides were committed with a firearm.

89.7% of firearm homicides were committed with a handgun.

62.3% of all homicides were committed with a handgun.

About the Violence Policy Center
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.