Revenue to fund program for prevention of gun violence
SACRAMENTO (Press Release) –Legislation by Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-Marin County) to impose a statewide excise tax of $25 on the sale of handguns and semiautomatic weapons was approved Monday by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on a partisan 8 to 3 vote.
Co-authored by eight legislators from throughout California, AB 18’s gun tax would create a stable, ongoing revenue stream to support the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP). CalVIP supports violence intervention and prevention activities, with preference given to programs that have been shown to be the most effective at reducing violence and to applicants in cities or regions disproportionately affected by violence.
“The costs of gun violence are staggering,” said Mattie Scott, president of the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “It takes a toll on our healthcare system, criminal justice system and every community throughout the state. That’s why CA Brady was proud to support funding for locally-based gun violence prevention program through the updated CalVIP program, and the increased oversight and review process that makes these programs more effective. We thank Assemblymember Levine for his effort to keep this funding going in the years to come, while at the same time helping to reduce the gun violence.”
CalVIP, which is overseen by the Board of State and Community Corrections, issues grants to cities and community-based organizations. Grant recipients in 2018 included Los Angeles, Oakland, Richmond, San Bernardino, Stockton, Compton, Vallejo, Pasadena, Salinas, Oxnard and Santa Rosa. More than a dozen community-based organizations serving at-risk youth also received grants of up to $500,000.
“Gun violence is a public health crisis that demands new and innovative ideas and increased support for neighborhoods reeling from tragedy,” said Ari Freilich, California legislative affairs director for the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “California’s CalVIP grant program is making critical investments in community-driven efforts to intervene and prevent violence before it occurs, but this program has received inadequate and unstable funding. We applaud Assemblyman Levine for exploring ways to create a new, dedicated funding stream for this lifesaving program and look forward to working with him on this important legislation this year.”
“We must end gun violence in every California community,” said Assemblymember Levine. “This $25 gun tax is a drop in the bucket for profiteering gun shops and will create a permanent and desperately needed funding source for CalVIP. It is a small price for gun shops to pay in order to end gun violence in our state.”
AB 18 was previously approved by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on a 5 to 3 vote. AB 18 now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for further action.
Assemblymember Levine has been a leading voice in the fight to end gun violence, including authoring AB 1135 in 2016 to strengthen California’s ban on semi-automatic guns.
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Preceding provided by Assemblymember Marc Levine.