New McCarty Bill Targets Crime Gun Dealers In California

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A new bill was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Saturday which requires the Department of Justice to analyze their crime gun data in order to determine trends and patterns related to how crime guns are sold and trafficked.

The term "crime guns" refers to "any firearm that is illegally possessed, used in a crime, or suspected to have been used in a crime," explained California State Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, who pushed the bill.

The bill, referred to as the McCarty Bill or AB 1191, aims to reduce gun violence by targeting illegal arms dealers within California who are the providers and manufacturers of many of these crime guns.

According to McCarty, "If we are to reduce gun violence, our focus must be on the initial source of crime guns from irresponsible dealers who profit of the sales of firearms that infiltrate communities across the state, particularly communities of color."

The bill's primary focus is to utilize the data that the Department of Justice has already gathered on the use of these crime guns. With this data, the hope is that we will be able to reduce gun violence by cutting off the illegal weapons supply at the source.

"This bill will require the DOJ to provide analyses on how crime guns are being diverted from the legal market and identify irresponsible dealers — properly addressing a root cause of gun violence," said McCarty's office.

Currently, gun violence affects minorities significantly, with African American men representing over 30 percent of gun homicide victims in California despite their demographic making up less than 4 percent of the state's population.

Ideally, this bill will help to understand the reasons for these statistics and help to reduce gun violence in these populations and across the state.