Guns In Alameda County Report: 2012-2018

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to combating the epidemic of gun violence plaguing communities throughout the county, state and nation. Firearm related crimes have a significant impact on victims, families and communities as a whole. The emotional toll wrought by gun violence is devastating and long-lasting. Victims who survive are often left with permanent disabilities, families grieve the loss of loved-ones and traumatized children live in constant fear of firearm violence.

This comprehensive report covers six years of data on gun use, sales, possession and theft in Alameda County, including detailed statistics of firearm related crimes.

“In creating this report, we aim to deepen our understanding of the epidemic of gun violence in Alameda County, in California and across the country,” states DA O’Malley. “We can and must prevent gun violence. A first step is to research and understand how guns are falling into the hands of the wrong people – those whose intent is to inflict harm, injury and death. This research also allows us to understand how too many children and teens fall prey to gun violence, either through self-infliction or at the hands of another. An in-depth and critical analysis of gun purchases, ownership, theft and use is vital to furthering the goal of reducing gun violence as well as accidental firearm related injuries and fatalities.”

The research also points out a gap in data collection, reporting and analysis. The District Attorney’s Office will work with the reporting authorities to find solutions to the data issues. The ultimate goal of the report is to bring greater awareness to the issue of firearm violence, to reinforce safety and safe storage and to identify new strategies to combating gun violence and the proliferation of illegal firearms.

Download the complete report (PDF 5MB)

View our PSA about Gun Safety and Safe Gun Storage

Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (“SHARE”) Act

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to combating gun violence and is committed to strengthening laws that keep our communities safe. In light of horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 1, we have redoubled our efforts to effect change at a statewide and national level.

On October 4, 2017, DA Nancy O’Malley joined prosecutors from across the country to express their strong opposition to provisions in the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (“SHARE”) Act which would remove existing gun silencer safety regulations from federal law.

DA O’Malley and Prosecutors Oppose Legislation that would Remove Regulation on Gun Silencers

Current Version of SHARE Act Would Eliminate Safeguards Barring Violent Offenders from Obtaining Silencers

OAKLAND, CA – Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, and 26 additional members of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV) today announced their strong opposition to provisions in the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (“SHARE”) Act which would remove existing gun silencer safety regulations from federal law.

“As prosecutors, we are sworn to uphold public safety in our communities. The SHARE Act would threaten that safety by removing gun silencers from regulation under the National Firearms Act, which for decades has prevented felons, domestic abusers, and other people with dangerous histories from obtaining silencers,” states a letter written today to congressional leaders from the PAGV regarding the legislation.

“Given the challenges of protecting public safety in our communities—including from horrific mass shootings like the one we experienced this week in Las Vegas—and the increased risks to law enforcement, now is exactly the wrong time for Congress to make it easy for people with dangerous histories to buy silencers.”

The SHARE Act would jeopardize not only the safety of the public, but also the safety of the front-line law enforcement officers who work to keep communities safe. The loud and distinctive noise that a gunshot makes allows those who hear gunfire to assess the threat and take steps to protect themselves and those around them. Moreover, current federal law requires all buyers of silencers to pass a background check and comply with other common-sense safety provisions. Thanks to these successful regulations, silencers have been rarely used in connection with criminal activity.

DA O’Malley is a member of the PAGV, a nonpartisan coalition of leading prosecutors, from every region of the United States, committed to advancing prosecutorial and policy solutions to the national public health and safety crisis of gun violence.

###

Posted on Oct 4, 2017

New Billboard Campaign Launched

In October 2017, a new public awareness campaign focused on the safe storage of firearms was launched by the DA’s Office and is posted on billboards and bus shelters throughout the county.

In partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor, communities throughout Alameda County will see billboards and bus shelters with the message “Save a Life! Lock Up Your Guns.”

Just this week, as the billboards were in final production, we witnessed the deadliest mass shooting in our country’s modern history. While the messaging of this public service campaign is devoted to the safe storage of firearms, it is part of a much broader campaign centered on reducing gun violence and its tragic consequences.

“The message is strong and clear and it will save lives,” says DA O’Malley. “If there are children living in or visiting your home, your gun must be secured and locked in a place that no child can access. When gun owners follow this law, lives are saved and tragedies are prevented.”

Children are naturally curious and love nothing more than looking into hiding places. When an adult’s negligent gun storage is combined with a child’s interest in exploration, the consequences can be deadly.

DA O’Malley Announces Public Awareness Campaign Promoting Gun Safety
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley announces the first phase of a public awareness campaign focused on gun violence and the safe storage of firearms. When guns are not securely stored, accessibility to firearms too often leads to unintended tragedy as well as violent crime. In partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor, billboards and bus shelters with the message “Save a Life! Lock Up Your Guns” present a stark, graphic reminder of the legal responsibility of every gun owner to keep his or her gun secured and out of reach of children.

“The message is strong and clear and it will save lives,” says DA O’Malley.

“If there are children living in or visiting your home, your gun must be secured and locked in a place that no child can access. This is the law in our state. When gun owners follow this law, lives are saved and tragedies are prevented.”

“This new campaign running on our bus shelters and billboards communicates a powerful message in an impactful way that can save lives,” said Bruce Qualls, Vice President, public affairs, Clear Channel Outdoor – Northern California.

“Gun safety is every gun owner’s business and we want to help get that message out to protect children and families from unnecessary tragedies.”

As these public service announcements were in final production, the nation witnessed the deadliest mass shooting in our country’s modern history in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the messaging of this public service campaign is devoted to the safe storage of firearms, it is clearly a part of a much broader campaign centered on reducing gun violence and its tragic consequences.
Children are naturally curious and love nothing more than looking into hiding places. When an adult’s negligent gun storage is combined with a child’s interest in exploration, deadly consequences are far too common.

The tragedies are seemingly never-ending. Within just the past several weeks, the media reported stories from around the country of little children shooting themselves or others with guns they found. In late September, a 4-year-old boy in Parma, Ohio, got his hands on a gun in the family car and died after shooting himself in the head. Earlier in the month, a 4-year-old Florida girl put her hand into her grandmother’s purse looking for candy, came upon a handgun, and accidentally shot and killed herself. News reports in St. Louis describe a 4-year-old boy who shot himself in the face with a gun he had found in his home, and, in a separate incident the same week, a 2-year-old boy shot and killed his father while playing with a handgun he found in the home. Had the guns been locked away, inaccessible to children, lives would not have been lost nor children seriously injured.

California is one of several states in the nation that has laws prohibiting ‘criminal storage’ of firearms. These laws are aimed at preventing teens and children from gaining access to loaded guns and shooting themselves or others. This campaign aims to inform every gun owner of his or her legal responsibility to ensure that no child can access the firearm.

A study published in June of 2017 in the American Journal of Pediatrics reports that on average, 19 U.S. children per day are killed by or receive emergency treatment for gunshot wounds, and that among injury-related deaths, firearms are the second leading cause behind car accidents for children aged 1-17.

In the months ahead, the District Attorney’s Office will continue the campaign to address gun violence, highlighting important messages such as safe storage to reduce the theft of firearms that are often then used in violent crimes.

For high resolution images of the campaign and additional information on gun safety, please visit our Gun Safety page.

###

Posted on Oct 25, 2017

Public Awareness Campaign

In June 2017, the DA’s Office partnered with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the American Academy of Pediatrics in the ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Gun Safety Campaign. The ASK Campaign helps raise awareness of the issue of children and adults being put at risk for serious injury or death from unsecured guns.

Just as parents ask all sorts of questions before their children visit other homes (such about pets, internet access, and pools), the ASK campaign encourages parents to add one more question to this conversation: “Is there an unlocked gun in your house?”.

It’s a simple question, but one that has the power to save a child’s life.