In an effort to expand public awareness of “red flag” gun laws, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has teamed up with the San Jose Police Department to create a video PSA intended to get residents to call police as soon as they know of a gun in dangerous hands.
The video – with translations in four languages – will be used at community events and shown at the West Wind Capitol Drive-In and Cinelux Almaden Café and Lounge movie theaters in San Jose between features for four weeks, beginning today. Now, to use “Red Flag” gun laws even more,
Officials said the DA’s Office and local law enforcement already ,have saved lives by taking weapons from the hands of the suicidal, children, the mentally ill, the threatening, and the abusive at a rate “higher than anywhere else in California.”
The new video stars dispatcher “DD” Dunn, who urges people to call 911 and dispatchers like her, to report weapons that are in the wrong hands. When that happens, a specialized county law enforcement team can use a Gun Violence Restraining Order to safely and temporarily seize a weapon until the danger has passed.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen released a statement that said: “All of us agree that a suicidal teen should not have a gun. All of us agree that a young child or a domestic violence abuser should not have a loaded Glock. A mass shooter should be disarmed before the first shot. Please listen to “DD”: Don’t wait until it’s too late. Call 911.”
"Every gun we take out of dangerous hands is a life we may have saved," said SJPD Chief Paul Joseph. "These laws work when the community works with us. If you know someone in crisis or someone making threats and they have a gun, don’t hesitate. Your call could be the reason a tragedy never happens."
For two years in a row, the DA’s office reported that Santa Clara County has led the state in the use of the gun violence restraining orders, issuing 683 last year – 200 more than the next highest county, San Diego. The restraining orders have been safely used in cases where people have threatened suicide or even mass shootings, resulting in the seizure of illegal assault weapons and machine guns.
