Gun laws in California were ranked the strongest in the country in a recent report based on gun safety legislation, including a bill by Sen. Henry Stern, D-Santa Clarita, to stop juvenile felons from owning guns later in life.
Sponsored Articles
On Friday, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released the latest edition of its annual gun law scorecard, which grades and ranks each state on the strength of its gun laws.
California received an “A” grade, the highest score of any state, according to the scorecard.
California’s rank is due to the state’s continued emphasis on background checks, prohibiting access to guns by hate crime offenders and funding urban gun violence reduction programs, according to officials.
“Every day in our country, nearly 100 Americans die from gun violence,” said Robyn Thomas, executive director of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “Year after year, our research shows that states that get serious about passing stronger gun violence prevention laws have a much better chance of reducing the number of deaths linked to firearms.”
The report was released less than a month after Sen. Henry Stern introduced a “Juvenile Gun Safety Act” to the California state senate.
Related: Senator Henry Stern Introduces Juvenile Gun Safety Act
The bill would close a loophole in California law that allows individuals who have committed violent offenses as minors to escape prosecution for illegally owning or possessing a firearm in violation of the law, according to officials.
“Recordkeeping saves lives,” said Stern. “People with violent criminal records should not be able to own or possess guns. We need to close the gaps in our background check systems so that, at a bare minimum, minors who commit serious crimes cannot turn around and possess guns once they successfully complete probation.”
Under current state law, felons are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. Juvenile offenders, however, can petition to have their records sealed once they successfully complete probation, meaning they can purchase a firearm later in life.
Did you spot a correction? Let us know by emailing Corrections@hometownstation.com
KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for KHTS email and text alerts today!