Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a coalition of 21 attorneys general, joined an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit today. The brief supports Colorado’s law requiring a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases. Bonta joined the brief in Rocky Mountain Gun Owners v. Polis after the district court denied a preliminary injunction that would have halted Colorado's enforcement of the law. States across the nation, including California, protect their citizens through similar waiting period laws which have been proven to promote public safety and curb gun violence.

“Reasonable waiting period laws for firearm purchases allow states to implement background checks and create a buffer between gun purchases and gun acquisition, which have been proven to help prevent senseless and impulsive acts of gun violence in our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Gun violence is an urgent public health issue—we must continue defending upstream interventions that work; and waiting periods simply work.”

In the brief filed today, the states argue that Colorado's waiting period law is consistent with long-standing practices of regulating gun safety and shielding communities from gun violence by ensuring only law-abiding and responsible persons acquire guns. Colorado’s waiting period resembles measures taken by other states that explicitly impose waiting periods or laws that functionally impose waiting periods through their licensing and background check schemes. Immediate purchase and acquisition of a gun can increase the risk of both gun suicide and gun homicide due to acting on temporary emotions and impulses. Research has repeatedly shown that delaying firearm purchases by a few days can reduce gun homicides by approximately 17%, and suicide rates by 7-11%.

Attorney General Bonta continues his strategic approach towards tackling the issue of gun violence aggressively:

- Defending California’s commonsense gun laws, including its assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines.

- Educating the public on gun violence prevention through the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

- Advocating for gun laws, including sponsoring Assembly Bill 1594 to increase accountability for the firearm industry.

- Seizing guns from prohibited persons in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System.

- Ending the sale of illegal firearms through litigation against ghost gun retailers.

In filing the brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Northern Mariana Islands.

A copy of the brief can be found here.