“If you actively do nothing people continually end up dead so it’s time to start doing something.”
Emma Gonzalez, Parkland Student

Gun Safety

WAVE’s Gun Safety Working Action Group continues to work towards a better and safer Orange County by supporting efforts to reduce gun violence in Orange County and beyond. We foster relationships with local elected officials, advocate for gun safety legislation, and offer WAVE members opportunities to take actions to support such legislation. We partner and coordinate with local and state-wide gun safety organizations to enhance the impact of the movement. We also initiate non-legislative public safety initiatives by working with community leaders such as school leadership and the medical community to reduce gun injury and deaths locally.

2021-22 legislative highlights:

  • 17 gun safety bills tracked and supported during the 2022 California legislative session.

  • 16 out of 17 bills are now signed into law.

  • 13 Assembly and Senate committee meetings in which WAVE members called to make public comments in support of gun safety legislation. In many cases, WAVE calls outnumbered NRA and CA Rifle & Pistol Association calls.
  • 9 official WAVE letters of support submitted to the California Legislature in support of gun safety bills.

  • Successfully supported SB 264 (Senator Min) which banned gun shows at all state fairgrounds, including OC Fairgrounds.

  • Successfully supported AB 1057 (Assembly Member Petrie-Norris) broadened red flag laws to include domestic violence cases.

  • Successfully supported AB 2061 (Assembly Member Petrie-Norris) ensured that all gun show vendors subject to inspection by the CA Department of Justice.

  • Successfully supported statewide bill to allow citizens to sue gun manufacturers.

  • Successfully supported bills to ban ghost guns in California.

  • Successfully supported bill requiring school districts to notify parents about existing CA law on safe storage of firearms and potential felony charges if child injuries themself or others with unsecured firearm.