California Senate Passes Bill Allowing Judges To Temporarily Take Guns Away From Owners
SACRAMENTO (CBSLA/AP) - California school employees could ask judges to temporarily take guns from potentially dangerous people under a bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown.
The state Senate passed Assembly Bill 2888 Tuesday.
A California law passed in 2016 already lets immediate family members and law enforcement officials request gun-violence restraining orders against people who show warning signs of violence.
The new bill would extend that ability to more people including school employees and co-workers. Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Francisco introduced it in the wake of a February mass shooting at a Florida high school.
"Prior to February's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, teachers and administrators expressed increasing concern about the gunman's behavior at school" said AB 2888 author Rep. Phil Ting (D-San Francisco). "We need to give California schools more tools to prevent another campus tragedy."
Brown vetoed a similar bill last year saying it was too soon to expand the existing law.
The 21-day restraining orders - which are extendable up to a year - require gun owners to surrender their weapons and ammunition to police.
The measure was strongly opposed by pro-gun groups like the National Rifle Association as well as the American Civil Liberties Union of California.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
