Santa Clara County supe looks at increasing resources to enforce 'red flag' gun laws
SAN JOSE – A Santa Clara County supervisor wants to invest more money to expand a program that combats gun violence through the use of so-called "red flag" laws that enable law enforcement to confiscate the firearms of people who may pose a threat to themselves or others.
"By fully utilizing the laws we have on the books now, we're going to be able to save lives and it will provide support to these departments," said Supervisor Cindy Chavez.
Additional funding would be use to expand the county's gun violence restraining order program that's spearheaded by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
The DA's office investigates reports of threats of violence, especially if the person has access to firearms.
If there is sufficient evidence of a threat, the DA's office petitions a judge for a gun violence restraining order. Teams of law enforcement officers then confiscate the weapons.
"Each one of these gun violence restraining orders represents a mass shooting, a suicide or a domestic violence murder that did not happen," says James Gibbons-Shapiro.
Chavez, who is also running for Mayor of San Jose, said the program has proven to be effective but it can be time-consuming and expensive. She wants to invest more money for personnel at the DA's office and for the teams of law enforcement officers who carry out the seizures.
"One of the best ways to combat gun violence is to insure that individuals who legally cannot possess a gun -- do not," says Pat Nikolai, Police Chief in the city of Santa Clara.