{"id":1121,"date":"2025-08-01T00:47:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T00:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/?p=1121"},"modified":"2025-08-01T00:47:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T00:47:37","slug":"california-launches-campaign-to-promote-gun-violence-restraining-orders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/american-community-media\/california-launches-campaign-to-promote-gun-violence-restraining-orders\/","title":{"rendered":"California Launches Campaign to Promote Gun Violence Restraining Orders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eighty percent of Californians don\u2019t know they can seek legal help to keep someone with a gun from committing a violent act. The state is betting on a clear and accessible campaign to change that.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California has some of the strictest gun safety laws in the United States\u2014and one of the lowest firearm death rates in the country. Yet, most residents still don\u2019t know that a highly effective legal tool exists to prevent tragedies: Gun Violence Restraining Orders<\/strong>, or GVPOs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the focus of a recent briefing organized by American Community Media<\/em> and California Black Media<\/em>, marking the launch of the Reduce the Risk<\/strong> campaign, an initiative from Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s office through Cal OES<\/strong> (California Office of Emergency Services). The goal is clear: to educate the public on how to use these court orders to legally disarm individuals who pose an imminent threat. \u201cWe\u2019re here to close information gaps and help prevent tragedies before they happen,\u201d said Ari Freilich<\/strong>, Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention at the California Department of Justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restraining Orders: A Legal Tool Few People Know About<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GVPOs <\/strong>are temporary civil court orders that allow a judge to prohibit someone showing signs of being dangerous from possessing or acquiring firearms. These orders can be requested by family members, coworkers, health professionals, teachers, or law enforcement officers. They\u2019re designed to prevent suicides, domestic violence shootings, and community attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the briefing, moderator Virginia Brown<\/strong> shared the story of a young man recently killed while trying to intervene in a domestic violence incident. \u201cThis reality touches our lives every day. And in many cases, it could have been prevented,\u201d she said firmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although GVPOs have been in place for years, public awareness remains alarmingly low<\/strong>. The data is clear: eight in ten Californians don\u2019t know these restraining orders exist\u2014or how to use them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reduce the Risk: A Multilingual and Community-Focused Campaign<\/strong>

Chris Dargan<\/strong>, public information officer for Cal OES, explained that California currently has nine types of restraining orders<\/strong> related to firearms, including those for domestic violence, harassment, or credible threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address the lack of awareness, the Reduce the Risk<\/strong> campaign launched reducetherisk.org<\/a>, a site offering information in 17 languages<\/strong>, downloadable guides, educational videos, and legal support resources. Since California began promoting these tools, the use of GVPOs has increased by 528%<\/strong>\u2014from just over 400 in 2018 to more than 2,000 in 2023. \u201cThe public needs to understand that these orders are not punishments. They\u2019re tools for prevention,\u201d said Dargan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Health Perspective: \u201cRemove the Gun, Not the Pain\u201d<\/strong>

Dr. Amy Barnhorst, a psychiatrist specializing in mental health crises, shared her experience treating high-risk patients. One case involved a young woman with a history of depression who had access to a gun after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe knew there was a suicide risk. We filed for a GVPO and police removed her firearm. That action dramatically increased her chance of surviving the crisis,\u201d Barnhorst said. \u201cThese orders don\u2019t solve emotional suffering,\u201d she added, \u201cbut they remove the most lethal tool from the equation.\u201d For Barnhorst, GVPOs serve as a bridge between the mental health system and the courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Police Experience: Rapid Response to Prevent Shootings<\/strong>

Sergeant Kyle Ikeuchi, from the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Department, shared several real-world examples of how GVPOs are used in the field. In one instance, a disgruntled employee upset about vaccine mandates made threats of violence. Police quickly executed a search warrant and removed firearms from his home\u2014without the need for force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another case, a teenager threatened a school shooting on social media. A concerned mother saw the posts and called the police. The teen had access to a sawed-off shotgun at his older brother\u2019s house\u2014the brother was already on probation. \u201cWe issued restraining orders for the entire family and took the teen for a psychiatric evaluation,\u201d Ikeuchi explained. \u201cThese orders allow us to act before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also emphasized that GVPOs include due process. \u201cIf there’s been a misunderstanding, a language issue, or a false accusation, there’s a court hearing. The judge makes the final decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most powerful testimonies came from Gabriela Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong>, a 23-year-old activist and member of the campaign\u2019s Youth Advisory Council. At 17, she was harassed, threatened, and psychologically abused by a young man from her neighborhood. He sent her photos of weapons and threatening messages\u2014but she never reported him. \u201cI didn\u2019t say anything because I thought it wasn\u2019t serious enough. No one had ever explained to me that there were legal tools to protect myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months later, the same man was arrested for plotting a school shooting. Gabriela still wonders what might have happened if someone had filed a GVPO in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, she dedicates her time to informing other young people about the existence of these orders. \u201cSpeaking up can save lives,\u201d she said. \u201cIf my story helps just one person request a restraining order, it will have been worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every speaker at the event echoed the same message: GVPOs work<\/strong>. They\u2019re legal, effective, and respectful of due process. But they\u2019re only useful if people know about them\u2014and use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Reduce the Risk<\/strong> campaign aims to change that, providing clear information, real-life stories, and easy access to legal resources, especially in vulnerable and underserved communities. \u201cStrong laws are not enough,\u201d concluded Ari Freilich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eighty percent of Californians don\u2019t know they can seek legal help to keep someone with a gun from committing a violent act. The state is betting on a clear and accessible campaign to change that. California has some of the strictest gun safety laws in the United States\u2014and one of the lowest firearm death rates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[686],"tags":[1257,1277,196],"class_list":["post-1121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-community-media","tag-acom","tag-american-community-media","tag-california"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1123,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121\/revisions\/1123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}