California leaders call for more gun laws in wake of Orlando shooting

Byby Tiffany Wilson KGO logo
Monday, June 13, 2016
Leaders call for more gun safety laws in California
Several state lawmakers and leaders from the LGBT and Arab-Islamic communities are calling for more gun safety laws.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Several state lawmakers and leaders from the LGBT and Arab-Islamic communities are calling for more gun safety laws. Several bills are up for a vote this week in Sacramento.

The state and local leaders stressed that 'we are Orlando.' What happened there could happen there it could happen in the Castro or on Polk Street, and the loss of life from mass shootings isn't just tragic, it's become unbearable.

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The assembly started working on this package of gun legislation in reaction to the shooting in San Bernardino last year.

They say the tragedy in Orlando yesterday only emphasizes why it is needed. One of the bills would allow employers, coworkers and others to request a gun violence restraining order. This would prevent an individual from buying a gun if others believe them to be mentally unstable. Another bill would prohibit the possession of large capacity ammunition magazines.

"Whether you are going to school, whether you are at the work place, whether you are at a nightclub, nowhere unfortunately right now is safe," Assm. Philip Ting (D) San Francisco.

Assemblymember Marc Levine spoke out specifically against assault weapons, saying it is time to get them off the streets once and for all.

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Angel Mendez, standing outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center, holds up a cell phone photo trying to get information about his brother Jean C. Mendez.
AP

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Mourners gather at memorial in the Castro District in San Francisco, Monday, June 13, 2016.
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A GoFundMe account has been set up for the victims and families of the mass shooting in Orlando, click here for more information.

Click here for full coverage on the deadly mass shooting in Orlando.