B 55 (Jackson) Would Restrict Gun Ownership Among Californians with Repeat DUI Convictions
SACRAMENTO — State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara) released the following statement today on a study published in the Sept. 30 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine showing that legal purchasers of handguns with a prior DUI had more than double the risk of being arrested for future violent crimes.
Jackson is the author of Senate Bill 55 to restrict gun ownership among Californians with repeat alcohol convictions. The bill stalled in the Assembly Public Safety committee this year, but Jackson hopes to move it forward early next year.
“This study powerfully confirms prior research on this issue and why we must take action,” said Jackson. “As our nation faces an epidemic of gun violence, we must pursue data-driven policies that will help keep deadly firearms out of the hands of those most at risk of committing future violent and firearm-related crimes. This research clearly demonstrates a link between DUI convictions among handgun purchasers and future violence.”
California law already prohibits people convicted of certain crimes (felonies, gun-related and violent misdemeanors, as well as those addicted to narcotics or adjudicated in certain ways) from possessing firearms either permanently or for a 10-year period.
Senate Bill 55, now moving through the Legislature, adds specific crimes involving alcohol to the list of violations that result in a 10-year restriction on ownership and possession of firearms. These crimes include multiple driving under the influence (DUI) convictions (three within a 10-year period) or vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
In the study conducted by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program, out of the 78,878 handgun purchasers in California whose criminal records were tracked for 13 years, 9 percent of purchasers with pre-existing DUI convictions were later arrested for murder, rape, robbery or aggravated assault. This is compared to 2 percent of purchasers with no prior criminal record.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.