California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott, U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl in announcing the establishment of the San Diego Gun Violence Prevention Program Task Force. This program is supported by grants from DOJ and the Judicial Council of California focused on ensuring court protection orders such as Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) and Domestic Violence Restraining Orders are effectively utilized, implemented, and enforced to protect survivors and prevent gun violence.
“I commend the leaders of San Diego for establishing this groundbreaking program and task force,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “California has led the nation by providing multiple protection order options to protect survivors and disarm individuals perpetrating violence and abuse. These interventions are all vital to preventing gun violence and can serve as a model for other states. We have a robust gun-safety toolkit. San Diego is leading the way in utilizing that safety toolkit to proactively prevent violence, obtain protection orders, and ensure that people subject to these orders are quickly and safely disarmed. These efforts are vital and DOJ is proud to help support, implement, and fund them.”
“We want the people of California and the nation to know that the evidence is in on gun violence restraining orders,” said City Attorney Mara Elliot. “They work. They save lives, and as you can see from the representation here today, you can have confidence that your request for help obtaining a GVRO will be handled appropriately, professionally, and quickly.”
San Diego’s program will expand regional partnerships to: (1) identify individuals who are a danger to themselves or others; (2) support survivors, law enforcement, and other stakeholders in obtaining protection orders that include firearm restrictions; (3) ensure people subject to those orders receive consistent information about how to comply with these orders by safely relinquishing firearms; (4) ensure courts, law enforcement, and other stakeholders promptly identify and disarm individuals who remain unlawfully armed.
In June 2024, Attorney General Bonta’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention issued a report on California’s nine court protection orders aimed at preventing gun violence. These processes empower individuals to present evidence showing they need court-ordered safety protections for themselves or others in danger. If sufficient evidence is found by a court, it may issue a protection order requiring compliance with safety rules designed to protect vulnerable people from violence.
The OGVP report called for coordinated action among communities to implement these protection orders effectively. Courts and law enforcement must work together proactively to ensure compliance with firearm relinquishment provisions under these orders.
DOJ’s 2024 Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS) report similarly called for communities to develop county-level firearm relinquishment systems with designated personnel responsible for coordinating efforts.
In California, nine types of protection order options exist:
1. Gun Violence Restraining Orders
2. Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
3. Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Orders
4. Civil Harassment Restraining Orders
5. Workplace Violence Restraining Orders
6. Postsecondary School Violence Restraining Orders
7. Juvenile Restraining Orders
8. Emergency Protective Orders
9. Criminal Protective Orders
Highlights from recent data indicate an increase in utilization of GVROs across California's counties between 2020-2023:
- Statewide issuance of protection orders limiting access to firearms increased by 20%.
- Final long-term protection orders with firearm provisions increased by 25%.
- Issuance of GVROs more than doubled.
- Significant variation exists across counties; San Diego County alone accounted for 35% of longer-term final GVROs issued statewide from 2016-2023.
The Office of Gun Violence Prevention was launched by Attorney General Bonta in 2022 as part of ongoing efforts addressing gun violence through strategic collaboration statewide.