June 27, 2022, Orange County, CA — After three decades of congressional inaction on gun safety, President Biden signed a bill last week that marks a modest step in the right direction. This comes a month after the mass murder of children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, and several weeks after a hate-fueled mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Jubilation over the passage of the bill was tempered, however, by yet another egregious Supreme Court decision that could potentially increase gun violence. We, the members of Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE), must continue our pursuit of commonsense gun legislation to curb gun violence and gun deaths.
WAVE members believe in commonsense legislation and initiatives that will make our schools, homes, and communities safer from gun violence. Congress moved the nation forward on those goals by passing the first significant gun legislation in three decades, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law would tighten background checks for the youngest gun buyers and those who have been convicted of domestic violence. It would also fund programs for school safety, mental health, and violence prevention, as well as incentivize states to implement “red flag laws”. This bill, however, does not include a ban on assault-style rifles or high-capacity ammunition magazines, nor does it create a federal red flag law – measures that WAVE staunchly supports.
In a disappointing yet unsurprising move, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded gun rights by ruling for the plaintiff in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The Supreme Court, buoyed by a conservative supermajority that ruled 6-3, decided that New York’s gun owners have a Second Amendment right to carry a loaded weapon in public for self-defense. The ruling found that the right to “bear arms” overrides New York’s law that restricts who may legally carry a concealed weapon. California and five other states have a similar law.
WAVE leaders warn that this decision could increase gun violence as more Americans “open carry” firearms in public places. Julia Demlow, co-chair of WAVE’s Gun Safety Working Action Group, urges that California and other states must now pass laws that determine “sensitive places” where firearms are prohibited and which firearms will be allowed for “open carry.”
“The California Senate and Assembly are ready now to pass multiple pieces of gun safety legislation,” Demlow said. “These commonsense gun safety bills are more important than ever to protect California residents. Call your state representatives and ask for them to vote ‘yes’ on these bills.” Governor Gavin Newsom has also indicated that our existing laws will need to be rewritten or strengthened in order to protect our state from the consequences of the Supreme Court ruling.
We must take action. Urge your state representatives to approve gun safety legislation quickly, and remind them that polls show a majority of Americans support background checks on all gun sales. Work to elect leaders who support commonsense gun legislation. Sign up for shifts to phone bank, canvass, postcard and text-bank to make sure voters who share our values are turning out to vote. As we have seen in the past couple of days, elections have consequences.