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9.A. - Page 3 of 8 <br />March 21, 2019 <br />Mayor Ian Bain <br />Redwood City, CA <br />Re: Safe Firearm Storage Model Ordinance <br />Dear Mayor Bain, <br />On February 26, 2019, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted an <br />ordinance requiring that all firearms in the home be safely stored using a safety device <br />approved by the California Department of Justice such as a gun safe or trigger lock. <br />While the ordinance approved by the Board of Supervisors only applies to firearm <br />owners who live in unincorporated San Mateo County, it is our hope that this ordinance <br />will serve as a model that all of the 20 cities within San Mateo County will adopt, <br />resulting in consistent gun safety practices. <br />We urge you and your Council to introduce an identical or similar ordinance at your <br />earliest convenience. <br />The issue of gun safety could not be more urgent. Having a loaded or unlocked gun in <br />the home is associated with an increased risk of gun -related injury and death. According <br />to a 2008 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, living in a home <br />where guns are kept increased an individual's risk of death by homicide by between <br />40% and 170%. Similarly, a 2004 national study determined that the presence of guns <br />in the home increased an individual's risk of death by homicide by 90%. <br />Fourteen other California jurisdictions, including Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Saratoga, San <br />Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco, have adopted similar safe storage ordinances. The <br />City of San Carlos recently introduced a nearly -identical ordinance requiring the safe <br />storage of firearms within its jurisdiction. <br />Like these cities, the County's safe storage ordinance is consistent with, and builds <br />upon, existing state law which requires that safety devices, such as safes or trigger <br />locks, accompany any firearms that are purchased or transferred by a licensed dealer. <br />The County ordinance goes further than state law by requiring gun owners to actually <br />use those safety devices when storing a firearm at home. The ordinance fills an <br />important gap in existing law and aims to reduce accidental gun shootings, gun -related <br />homicides and suicides, and the theft of unsecured firearms. <br />285 <br />