The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday asked the county counsel to work with the county sheriff to craft an ordinance requiring gun owners in unincorporated areas to lock up their guns.
Supervisor Candace Andersen, who introduced the item, said a similar state law is directed only at households with children. Andersen wants to account for things like theft, suicides, and visitors getting access to someone’s gun.
Andersen said “many cities in Contra Costa” have already passed similar measures requiring guns to either be in a locked storage box or have locking devices on the weapon itself.
“A lot of people I know who have guns, none of them keep their guns unlocked as I’ve discussed it with them, they think it’s a common sense to lock your gun, your weapon at all times,” Andersen said.
“What I found most shocking is when we had a rash of burglaries in the north Danville and Alamo-south Walnut Creek area, anecdotally how often I was hearing guns/weapons have been stolen, which of course are more likely going to be used in the commission of other crimes,” Andersen said.
Supervisor Ken Carlson, a former Concord police officer, talked about seeing the effects of unlocked guns on children up close and personal.
“I, early in my career, was called to the home of a youngster who, on the very last day of school, used his parents’ gun to kill himself, and should have been moving on to a summer of fun and looking forward to moving on to middle school; That’s how young this person was,” Carlson said.
“It was traumatic and tragic that it could have been prevented, having to share with a parent along with their child over what might be perceived as their neglect or their lack of control. It’s just traumatic all the way around to the community,” Carlson said. “What it ingrained in me is the need for us to do this to prevent those types of things from happening.”
A staff report said the state law only prohibits the storage of unlocked firearms on the premises if either a child — without parental permission — or someone who is not supposed to have access to firearms, is likely to gain access to the weapon.
“Having a loaded or unlocked firearm in the home has been associated with an increased risk of firearm-related injury and death, as well as with the theft of the firearms,” the report said. “It is estimated that 200,000-500,000 guns are stolen each year in the United States. Thefts are a source of guns for the commission of other crimes. Recent burglaries in Contra Costa County have included the theft of firearms.”
Numerous people spoke in favor of the idea during public comment, without anyone speaking against it.
The report said keeping guns loaded or unlocked increases the risk of an accidental shooting and brings higher risks of suicide. It also said immediate access to loaded firearms increases the risk that a person’s impulsive decision to die by suicide will be carried out without reflection or seeking help, and the impulsive attempt will be fatal.
“Children are particularly at risk of injury or death, or causing injury or death, when they can access firearms within their own homes or at homes they visit,” the report said.
The report said both gun rights and gun control advocates support using locking devices.
“Requiring stored, unsupervised firearms to be secured with gun locks or in a locked container is a sensible safety regulation and does not substantially burden the right or ability to use firearms for self-defense in the home,” the report said.
The proposal would only affect unincorporated county areas, though some cities, such as Walnut Creek, already have similar ordinances. Once crafted, the proposal will come back to the board for a vote.
Make you a deal. When you start doing your jobs of making sure criminals are prosecuted and locked up, I’ll “pretend” to play along and say my God given right and 2nd amendment survival devices are locked up, where they become absolutely useless to me should I actually need them. Now, politely get back to your game of tiddlywinks. When seconds matter, police are only a few hours away. And when they do arrive, they are prosecuted for actually trying to enforce the law.
Come to my house and enforce it!
It’s not easy to defend yourself when your firearms are locked away. GET BENT!
Come to your house? Where they want you to keep the guns? Ok.
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“Don’t Tread On Me.”
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Someone breaks into your house you can yell out. ” Wait I have to find my key”. If you have children you better make sure they cannot get to your guns.
Whether you live in an Unincorporated area or Incorporateed, this is an assine and ignorant regulation!! Tim Carlson may be an ex-cop but his comments do not ring true. As with Pelosi, etc they can and do have sophisticated security avilable to her(them!.
Where is this concern coming from?? Is it because of the fear that Biden is history or the potential that Trump/DeSantis will come in and decimate these WOKE agendas? Thank God these types did not have the control back in 1774 or so. Otherwise we would be having breaks w/tea and crumpets now!
The citizens of this state need to wake-up and review American AND World History.
If Carlson was good police, he would still be Police. He is no longer on the force for a reason.
Dear Contra Costa Supervisors,
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Consume manure.
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Best regards,
Your friend, Happy Pappy
HAPPYPAPPY
Thank you, best comment of the week.
We are in an era where thieves crash stolen cars through buildings and drag safes away to be pillaged later.
Lock up the thieves.
No. GFY supervisors.
In Oakland, police are telling residents to “Reinforce their doors” (https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/reinforce-your-door-oakland-police-say-after-spike-in-home-invasions/)
In Contra Costa, the BOS wants to restrict your ability to protect yourself.
As my grandpa taught me, “what use is a non-loaded gun?” Ditto for locking away your home defense weapon.
No thank you, BOS.
Saw everything I needed to see from your jokers during covid. No thanks.
Passing a law like this is not going to solve this problem.If someone wants to kill themselves they will find a way.A person is not going to lock up there gun because you pass a law.If someone chooses not to lock up there gun they should be prepared to suffer the consequences.I personally lock mine up but that’s my choice.
Soiunds the same as when they outlawed a “certain” kind of sex,and people asked “how will you enforce this,with the sex police?
It’s more show boating,like throwing money at the homeless or imaginary global warming,it’s just for them to say, “leave us alone.look at the money(of yours) we spent!!!..and when we do this we tell you how to live and we own you..”
I use fingerprint gun safes for my pistols and rifles. Right next to my bed I can unlock and ready to shoot in 1 second, I’d hear, the dog would hear and my motion alarms on outside cameras would alert us. I’d have plenty of time to arm and continue.
In Clayton though pretty much don’t have to be nervous about scumbags coming down our street breaking into our homes.
Got a quick accessible gun on all floors no matter what room we’re in. Yea it sounds like I’m nervous..noooo just well prepared for any member of my family to be able to access a gun if they need one no matter where in the house they might be.
I lock them up is my decision, not some politician passing some bill telling me I have to do it or else.
But schedule 1 narcotics are legally sold in our cities. Dangerous and mentally ill people roam our streets. Perverts, junkies and drug dealers permeate our community and we live in a modern equivalent of Dodge City. And they want to further restrict our constitutional rights……..Molon Labe.
I have only one simple response …
50-Cal center mass … try me
My gun is under my pillow. It will stay under my pillow. I refuse to be a victim. Keep my city safe and I will lock it up.
I hope it is a Ruger RedHawk or a 12 gauge 870. Come on in, old painless is waiting.
Where the heck do you live? Under your pillow? Don’t you have a night stand? I once lived in a neighborhood where I kept a 44 mag rifle propped up between the bed and the wall. That was long ago though and I just got out of the army and couldn’t afford high rent. It was in a place where a lot of hippies wandered around. Still have the Ruger.
@RICARDOH…I always wanted one of those Ruger rifles to compliment my Model 29. It would had been fun to reload for that rifle back in the day when I reloaded all my ammo and hit the range every week.
After not using it for many years I used it a couple of years ago.my ear plugs fell out and I became almost deaf. I now need hearing aid. Bought it at the Ft Ord PX 1962
Will be no knock inspections ? ? ? ?
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So this is the latest follow the leader, because some other politicians did it, idea?
Interesting, haven’t heard of a similar plan regarding drunk driving.
Take a life using a vehicle consequences are widely known.
The person using the vehicle under the influence is held responsible.
Yet common sense applied to vehicles being applied to guns seems to elude supervisors.
This sounds like a great way to get voted out of office.
GO FOR IT.
Draining the Martinez SWAMP is long over due.
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“We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”
—Ronald Reagan
Need more info on how this would be enforced. Could law enforcement be permitted to enter your home without a search warrant based solely on an allegation you might have unlocked guns? If your gun is stolen during a home break in, would you be required to prove it had been locked up before being stolen? And what is the punishment if the gun was stolen and was either not locked up or you can’t prove it was locked up? Would you be fined? Lose permit privileges? Would gun owners who purchased guns legally be less likely to report a stolen gun if they think they will be forced to prove it was locked up or face charges?
They are a pathetic group, the County Supes.
They can’t stop crime, so they burden potential victims.
I guess that’s all anyone can expect from unscrupulous politicians.
No need for guns
I have a box of rocks and a pointy stick. Try me! 😠
Common sense gun control is an imaginary idea that does not exist in reality–this is just another human rights violation.
Need to vote them all out… just more of Newsom’s cronies cxxp….. perp steals a locked gun – do they think the perp won’t get the lock off? duh……
Good idea. But not enforceable.
A better idea would be a yearly gun registration fee and insurance ; similar to the car scheme.
The fee would be use to subsidize gun victims’ cost (healthcare, funeral, ect)
That sounds like an infringement of our 2A rights.
After you register and pay your fees to speak freely, as well as insure that you will only say government-approved speech, maybe we will discuss the rest of the Bill of Rights.
Sorry to say Supervisor Candace Andersen is a fool and possibly a liar.
#1 How does a locking device on a gun prevent theft ?
# 2 If you live in an unincorporated area it can take up to an hour before the sheriff department to show-up. How many supervisors live In a unincorporated area?
#3 What gun rights advocates spoke in favor?
It was not the NRA or the California Rifle and Pistol Association.
#4 Other people spoke in favor and no one against, other cities have similar ordinances.
My mom would ask us kids if Johnny jumped off a bridge would you?
#5 Don’t they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution? If they vote for this impeach them and do not vote for them again, the Sheriff also.
So this is dumb…. every time I purchase a firearm I am questioned on what kind of safe I have and where my new firearm will be stored. When I grew up we had guns leaned up behind almost every doorway in the house. This was not for deterrent but simply a place to put them. We never had any inclination to use these thing against anyone let alone cause harm to ourselves. I bought a safe strictly for the fact that s#!t heads don’t blink about stealing stuff now. Bought my first handgun at 7 years old from Traders in San Leandro in the early 70s (first communion gift money) “yeah I know….good catholic boy” waited 7 days before I could pick it up and magically have not committed any heinous acts. what the hell has happened to us?
A story from Pleasant Hill from the 1977 is a kid that was abused by his father for too many years got the dad’s .357 with a trigger lock,used a simple hacksaw to remove the the trigger loop and drop the lock,and shot his father in the head as he sat watching TV.
A lock will never stop a motivated gun user/thief/hustler.
The kid only got put in a group home btw,he was only 15,and there were years of physical abuse between the father and his 4 sons,and lots of police reports to go with it.
Only you are responsible for your own and your family’s safety; bottom line.
I can access my locked gun in under 6 seconds. I know because I rehearse it. That plenty of time to respond to a forced entry attempt. And I have systems in place to alert me to that happening.
The inconvenient part of your idea is right there in the FBI statistics if you choose to remove that wool over your eyes.
You really think the people who commit the majority of gun crimes register their guns, let alone their cars or contribute to society in any way, especially by insuring themselves?
Outlaw stupid parents. Hey Candice, are you drafting a bill to have people lock up the kitchen knifes when they are not at home?
I am almost a little teary eyed at all (but one) of the #2A positive comments here. Contra Costa residents are for the most part, gun owners who keep their guns safely locked up, or have a locking mechanism on their side piece (guns, not the other). I’m actually quite proud of the response here today. I was thinking I’d see a bunch of “smart gun control laws” blah blah blah, but I have to say, y’all did me proud. Just remember Candace, criminals don’t follow the law.
Out of my cold dead hands.
WDG
It’s just another of the endless array of basically useless laws, put in place by the feckless liberal California state democrats in an attempt to make themselves appear important.