FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Gun Owners of America (GOA) released the following statement in response to the violence in Sacramento, California over the weekend, which left six people dead.

“We all mourn the tragic loss of life in Sacramento over the weekend, but the response to the violence must take into account that none of the strict California gun laws prevented violent criminals from committing crimes; they only prevented law-abiding citizens from being able to protect themselves,” Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President said.

“California’s politicians need to stop blaming gun owners for failed policies. California has some of the strictest gun controls in the country,” Pratt said, “and yet they have some of the highest numbers of mass shootings in the nation. Our elected leaders must instead restore our rights to defend ourselves and our families.”

California already has some of the strictest gun control policies in the entire country, but they continue to see historic increases in violent crime. Among some of their most radical policies, the State enforces:

• universal background checks,
• a firearm safety certificate requirement,
• Red Flag gun confiscation orders,
• a ban on so-called “assault weapons,”
• a “good cause” requirement for concealed carry permit issuance,
• a campus carry ban,
• a prohibition against arming teachers,
• an unconstitutional 10-day waiting period,
• and several ammunition controls.

Gun Owners of California’s (GOC) Director, Sam Paredes, also weighed in on the Sacramento tragedy.

He added, “The Left will never let a tragedy go to waste, and that’s exactly what Governor Newsom, the mayor of Sacramento, and President Biden have done. Rather than being outraged at the horrific acts of violence by criminals, they are blaming the gun and punishing law-abiding gun owners. To them, it is easier to gloss over the consequences of their soft-on-crime approach than it is to look at the real roots of the violence – their response is as despicable as it is cowardly.”

President Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) have used the events in Sacramento to renew calls for their strict gun control agendas. It is worth nothing, however, that both suspects in the shooting were already prohibited from possessing firearms under California law.

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.