In the early days of California’s law, which took effect in 2016, it “wasn’t being used unless there was a local champion or someone who was in a position of influence who was saying, ‘Here is this law, it’s on the books, let’s start using it,” said Veronica Pear, a professor at the University of California, Davis who published a recent study about the law’s efficacy.
Between 2016 and 2019, at least 58 people who threatened mass shootings had their guns confiscated in California because of gun violence restraining orders, Pear found.
San Diego stood out as a success story because its city attorney, Mara Elliott, “repeatedly publicly endorsed” the restraining orders, “encouraged their use as a firearm violence prevention measure, and funded a team devoted to this effort,” Pear’s research found.
Interagency cooperation is also key. More “red flag” protection orders are typically signed in cities and counties where schools, police departments and mental health agencies are sharing information with one another.
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