The majority of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors today passed a resolution supporting Governor Gavin Newsom’s Right to Safety Amendment. Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer’s resolution was backed by Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe. 

“Our Board got it right with its support of the Right to Safety Amendment,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Since I was elected, we have taken ghost guns off the streets, required trigger locks, and taken steps to hold gun manufacturers accountable. Today’s vote is a statement of our values and our commitment to doing whatever it takes to keep our residents safe. I am ready to do whatever is needed to support Governor Gavin Newsom and enshrine the Right to Safety Amendment into our constitution.”  

Excerpts from the resolutions include:

“...WHEREAS, Systemic inequities in combination with weak gun laws have resulted in devastating rates of gun violence within our communities of color, and firearms have become the leading cause of death for children and adolescents aged 19 and below; and

“WHEREAS, the County of San Diego has championed actions to make ghost guns illegal, train our County social workers to be aware of the signs for potential gun violence in a home, and authorized an ordinance for safe gun storage in the unincorporated areas; and…

“WHEREAS, it is imperative that common sense gun safety measures are adopted across the country to help address this dire crisis; and

“WHEREAS, California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed the 28th Amendment to the Federal Constitution to support the Right to Safety through common sense gun safety measures…”

The Right to Safety Amendment preserves the 2nd Amendment and would ensure the people’s elected representatives can determine what gun safety laws are appropriate for their communities and enshrine fundamental, broadly supported gun safety measures into law, including:

• Raising the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21
• Mandating universal background checks
• Instituting a waiting period for all gun purchases
• Banning the sale of assault weapons and other weapons of war to civilians

California has officially requested a Constitutional Convention on gun safety after the Assembly approved Senate Joint Resolution 7 authored by Senator Aisha Wahab and Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (Sept. 15, 2023). Congress must call a convention for proposing amendments upon application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states (i.e., 34 of 50 states).

In September, Supervisors Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson voted against the Right to Safety Amendment and in July the same two Republican Supervisors rejected a simple report back on gun violence reduction efforts, including an education program requested by San Diegans to be a part of policies previously approved by the County Board of Supervisors.  

Supervisor Lawson-Remer, who hosted a Gun Violence Reduction Summit in September 2023, has listened to gun violence prevention advocates about their concerns and ideas; and worked with the community to take action by making ghost guns illegal in San Diego County, training County social workers to know the signs of potential gun violence in a home, requiring all firearms in unincorporated areas to be safely stored with a  trigger lock, or using a container, and authorizing the County law department to join and pursue lawsuits against gun manufacturers.  

To learn more, visit www.SupervisorTerraLawsonRemer.com