Vice President Kamala Harris’ gun violence prevention agenda could save the lives of those in red states the most.
The deadliest school shooting in the history of the state of Georgia happened last month, highlighting the unique danger faced by those who live in states with scant leadership on gun violence prevention. People in red states are much more likely to be killed by gun violence than those in blue states—a shocking statistic that may feel counterintuitive.
The tragic result of years of refusal by state legislators (especially those in Republican-led states) to implement commonsense measures to prevent gun violence is clear. Today, nine of the 10 states with the highest gun fatality rates are deeply red—like Mississippi, which ranks number one in the nation for the highest rate of gun deaths, with 29.7 per 100,000 Mississippians killed by gunshot last year.
Conversely, of the states that have the lowest gun death rates, nine of the 10 states are blue. Rhode Islanders, for example, are 10 times less likely to be shot and killed than Mississippians.
Red flag laws have been passed in states across the U.S. as a means to prevent gun violence. Also known as gun violence restraining orders (GVROs) or extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), red flag laws empower certain individuals—typically a family member or law enforcement—to intervene in a crisis by seeking a court order to temporarily take away access to guns from a gun owner who may harm themselves or someone else. In states without red flag laws, people who observe signs of predictable gun violence cannot use the law to prevent a gun violence tragedy, and must instead wait for a tragedy to occur.
Put simply, Democrat-led states are much more effective at protecting the public from dangerous gun-wielding individuals because they have sought and implemented solutions, including red flag laws. The difference in gun violence prevention efforts in Democrat-led versus Republican-led states is extreme and quantifiable: Seventeen of the 21 states that passed red flag laws have or had Democratic-controlled legislatures, two are swing states (Nevada and Michigan), and only two, Florida and Indiana, are states led by the GOP.
There would be 140,000 more Americans alive today if other states had managed to reduce their gun violence rates to California’s level.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ gun violence prevention agenda could save the lives of those in red states the most. In leading the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Harris has built a gun violence prevention agenda centered around red flag laws—because they work.
My state, California, was one of the first states in the nation to pass a red flag law nearly a decade ago following a shooting outside of UC Santa Barbara. Since then, my office, in collaboration with the San Diego Police Department, has obtained more GVROs than any other city in the U.S., which is a sobering statistic. GVROs have helped us take 3,700 weapons off the streets and away from dangerous individuals. Since 2017, we have created response systems and infrastructure that ensure we can quickly disarm dangerous situations. This is one of the reasons San Diego is one of the safest big cities in America.
The current Supreme Court, often considered the most pro-gun in our nation’s history, recently ruled red flag laws are constitutional and do not infringe upon Second Amendment rights.
Democrat-led states are much more effective at protecting the public from dangerous gun-wielding individuals because they have sought and implemented solutions.
Still, the 29 states without red flag laws, including Georgia, should pass red flag laws immediately.
In March, the Biden-Harris administration announced $750 million in federal funding to implement state crisis intervention programs, which include red flag programs. These funds can be used to train the judiciary and court staff on red flag proceedings, to educate family members so that they know what they can do when they see warning signs, and to train first responders on recognizing signs of crisis. All states with red flags laws should use this funding to ensure the effective implementation of this potent crisis intervention tool.
We have been investing in and innovating gun violence prevention solutions in California for decades. California is ranked as the number one state for gun safety by Giffords Law Center, and the state saw a 43 percent lower gun death rate than the rest of the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control analyzed by the California Department of Justice Office of Gun Violence Prevention. California Attorney General Rob Bonta found there would be 140,000 more Americans alive today if other states had managed to reduce their gun violence rates to California’s level.
The power to offer more than thoughts and prayers rests with those of us who dare to embrace it. The United States must address our gun violence epidemic with the urgency it deserves, and we can start by using strategies we know will work. Reaching over the political divide with life-saving solutions is the type of healing our country needs.
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