District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s Statement on President Biden’s Actions to Reduce Gun Violence 

“Earlier this month, President Biden visited the mass shooting site in Monterey Park. The January 24 murder of eleven innocent victims was tragic but not an isolated incident. A disgruntled employee shot and killed five fellow employees at a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay just days later. In two years, between 2019 and 2021, two mass shootings took the lives of twelve innocent victims in Santa Clara County. The Gilroy garlic festival and the Valley Transportation Authority shooting brought to a tragic focus a reality I have known for many years–it is too easy for individuals who shouldn’t have guns to obtain guns. 

I applaud President Biden’s action. The President is trying to save lives. His actions to improve federal support for gun violence survivors and their families, educate the general public about ‘red flag laws,” and accelerate federal law enforcement’s reporting of ballistics data through the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) will save lives.

As District Attorney in the heart of Silicon Valley, I have vigorously enforced California’s ‘red flag’ laws aggressively, helped the victims of gun violence through Victim Resiliency Centers, and led local law enforcement to collect, track, and provide NIBIN with gun and bullet ballistics to solve shootings. When we quickly solve gun crimes, we bring criminals to justice, reduce victimization, and protect our community. 

California’s interface with NIBIN is particularly important to every law enforcement jurisdiction in California. Our state needs to treat bullets fired by criminal guns like fingerprints and DNA. Tracing a bullet can lead us to a gun. A gun can lead us to a killer. Putting killers behind bars saves lives. 

Again, I applaud President Biden's proactive steps to curtail gun violence. I also encourage all law enforcement jurisdictions, California lawmakers, and local governments to proactively work to improve victim services, more thoroughly enforce ‘red flag’ laws, and enhance the forensic gathering and categorizing of bullet casings from crime scenes. All these measures will help save lives.”