With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
California Parents Would Have To Tell Schools About Guns At Home Under This Law
A pistol is displayed at a gun range.
(
EVARISTO SA
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
A California State Senate bill would require parents of school students to report any firearms in their homes if passed.
SB-906, authored by Democratic Senator Anthony Portantino from La Cañada Flintridge, was introduced Tuesday. Portantino penned the proposed law, which aims to keep track of what guns students may have access to in their household, in response to a recent rise in school shootings in the state:
"The bill would require local educational agencies to require the parents or guardians of a pupil to disclose whether any firearms are located at the home of the pupil and to answer questions about the ownership, storage, and accessibility by the pupil of the firearms. The bill would require local educational agencies to include information related to the safe storage of firearms in the annual notification provided to the parents or guardians of a pupil."
The senator says that the legislation would serve to bolster existing authority when it comes to threats of potential school shootings. Schools already have the ability to call law enforcement and search students for firearms, but SB-906 would also make the search mandatory when danger is deemed credible.
Sponsored message
"As we saw in Michigan, a school was notified of a credible threat, and then hesitated to take action and that led to tragic results," Portantino told LAist.
Portantino is referencing the fatal shooting of four students at Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30. Fifteen-year-old Ethan Crumbley allegedly opened fire on classmates just hours after his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, met with school officials over red flags raised about their son's possible intentions.
Ethan Crumbley was then sent back to class.
The bill's introduction and first reading mark the earliest step in the state's legislative process. SB-906 would also provide parents with information on how to safely store firearms.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
