Proposal would ban firearms in public spaces in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco supervisor and City Attorney David Chiu introduced a new piece of legislation Tuesday that would prohibit firearms in public spaces like hospitals, parks, grocery stores and places of worship.

The ordinance would make concealing guns in "sensitive spaces" -- playgrounds, schools, city buildings and the like -- a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

"As we endure yet another year of deadly mass shootings, we must do more to protect our communities from gun violence," said Chiu in a statement.

Supervisor Catherine Stefani introduced the legislation during Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, mirroring Gov. Gavin Newsom's statewide attempt to make concealed weapon policies stricter in public spaces.

She said the ban comes in response to last year's Supreme Court ruling that determined New York's "proper cause" concealed firearm policy was unconstitutional. She said the ruling set a "dangerous step backwards" for gun safety policy and only drove an increase in people carrying concealed weapons in the city.

"Too many lives are at stake to go backwards on this issue," she said during the meeting.

"We now have over 200 applications for concealed carry permits in San Francisco that are under review by our San Francisco Police Department and the sheriff's department, yet we not longer have the ability because of the Supreme Court to determine good cause to carry a concealed weapon in public," she added.

Proponents say the ban also comes during an uptick in gun violence around the city. Just this past week, nine people were shot at a Mission district block party, three were shot near a nightclub in Ingleside and shots were fired in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen also made comments about the Mission district shooting during Tuesday's meeting. She said gun violence is an "almost uniquely U.S. phenomenon," and needs to be addressed at the root cause.

"This incident is a reflection of what's happening around the country, and with increasing frequency, senseless acts of gun violence due to unfettered access to deathly weapons," Ronen said.