Gun-Related Intelligence Program “GRIP”

Like fingerprints, firearms and bullet casings can be collected, cataloged, and compared. My Crime Strategies Unit created a Gun Related Intelligence Program called “GRIP” to analyze police reports from unsolved gun cases. Meanwhile, DA forensic criminalists match the firearms and casings using specialized equipment and trained eyes. We have tracked single weapons to multiple shootings. This has led to dozens of arrests and convictions for armed robberies, aggravated assaults and murders. GRIP has solved crimes, saved lives, and made our community safer.

Gun Buybacks

My Office’s partnerships with local communities on gun buyback programs have removed 4,000 unwanted weapons–away from the hands of children, the suicidal, and house burglars.

Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center

In the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, my Office created a Family Assistance Center that served more than 800 victims in the two weeks immediately following the tragedy. Then, we started the Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center, the first of its kind on the West Coast, to help the Gilroy community address long-term and ongoing trauma from the mass shooting. The center remains open and we remain committed to helping Gilroy heal in the months and years ahead.

Exorcising “Ghost Guns”  

“Ghost guns” are guns made from unregulated kits purchased online that are then assembled to create assault weapons that are illegal to purchase or possess in California. Moreover, Ghost guns are difficult to trace because the parts in the kits do not have serial numbers. “Ghost guns” used in crimes where an arrest was made have jumped dramatically. The District Attorney Crime Laboratory examined 25 of these seized guns in 2017 and 114 in 2019, with those numbers continuing to increase. The use of Ghost guns to commit crimes is a significant public safety issue that calls for federal legislation. California’s law to regulate Ghost guns won’t go into effect until 2024. President Biden is right, we can’t wait.

Gun Violence Restraining Orders (Red Flag Laws)

My Office has championed Gun Violence Restraining Orders, a previously seldom-used law, that allows law enforcement to remove guns from a person who is an immediate threat to themselves or others. My Office leads the way in educating police officers to obtain these court orders and we are consulted 24/7 about them from jurisdictions across the state. Since we focused on using this important tool, court orders for these emergency gun removals in our County jumped from just 4 in 2017 to 122 in 2019.  It is hard to know how many mass shootings, domestic violence murders, or suicides were prevented. Think of this: recently, police arrested a man who was threatening on Snapchat to “shoot up” a San Jose mall. Officers searched his backpack and found a handgun and an assault rifle. After consulting with my Office, officers got a Gun Violence Restraining Order and removed the weapons from the man’s possession, saving countless innocent lives.