Legal gun sales increased significantly in California last year, as did the homicide rate and the number of domestic violence calls involving firearms.
As a result, state Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday urged Californians to use the state's "red flag" flaws.
Those laws allow Californians to request gun violence and domestic violence restraining orders if they believe someone they know is a danger to themselves or others. The restraining orders can temporarily or, even in some cases, permanently restrict someone from having a gun.
"It's about paying attention (to) our loved ones and the people we work and go to school with, and making a decision that could save not only that person's life, but the lives of others as well," Bonta said.
Bonta believed each of the aforementioned increases were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact it has had on Californians' lives.
The attorney general stopped short of explicitly linking the 65.5% increase in handgun sales and 45.9% increase in lon gun sales to the domestic violence increase, noting that spreading awareness of the laws was intended to prevent firearm deaths.
"Legal gun sales don't automatically equate to a violent incident or crime," Bonta said. "And responsible Californians who choose to legally own a firearm certainly have that right."
