Public Safety Committee
approves gun control legislation

Bay City News

July 10, 2007

A number of Mayor Gavin Newsom's proposed gun control measures passed through the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' public safety committee yesterday.

The proposal would prohibit the possession and sale of firearms on county property, require that handguns in homes are stored in locked containers, and increase regulatory requirements on gun dealers, the mayor's office said.

The bill will next go to the full Board for a final vote.

"The members of the public safety committee moved us a step forward today in our efforts to limit guns on our streets," Newsom said. "I'm hopeful that the full Board will echo (the committee's) sentiments - and the sentiments of the community - and approve this much needed package of firearms legislation."

According to statistics provided by the mayor's office, the number of patients admitted to San Francisco General Trauma Center for gunshot injuries rose from 81 in 2001 to 228 in 2006.

The San Francisco Police Department seized 1,158 guns in 2005 and 1,104 in 2006, the mayor's office said.

"It's all about keeping guns out of the wrong hands: away from children, out of schools and parks, off the black market, and out of the hands of criminals," Newsom said.

The bill was proposed by Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris, and co-sponsored by Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Sophie Maxwell.

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