An outside-the-box plan addressing gun violence and mass shootings released by Los Angeles County officials on Friday, April 7 emphasizes preventive actions that can be taken by neighbors, school officials and emergency room doctors as part of a public health approach to the problem.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s 40-point plan outlines four action categories:
• Support legislation to reinstate a federal ban on assault weapons, as well as passing other gun-control measures.
• Incorporate more healing practices to help victims and witnesses traumatized by gun violence in order to prevent retaliation shootings.
• Increase the use of gun violence restraining orders initiated by community members who believe someone is dangerous, who has a large number of guns in their home, or is experiencing mental distress.
• Broaden access to support systems, including more mental health resources, especially for K-12 students.
A key aspect of the county report is that it is not law enforcement-based. Instead, it is asking members of the community, and public health employees, to be proactive in order to prevent the mass shootings that have become a common occurrence in American society.
“We are living in an era of appalling gun violence in this country that shows no signs of abating,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health, at a news conference. “During the first 11 weeks of 2023 the United States experienced more than 100 mass shootings,” including the Jan. 21 shooting at a Monterey Park dance hall that left 11 dead.
“Without sustained, meaningful action on gun violence we are all but conceding the future and we are noting it will be no better than our grim present — and perhaps worse,” Ferrer said.
Ferrer pointed out that many people do not know about a tool that she believes can prevent a shooting: Neighbors, co-workers or family members can obtain a gun violence restraining order if a person who owns a gun shows signs of possible violence toward others or to themselves.
“They can obtain a red-flag (restraining order), and that order removes the guns from one person’s home,” she said.
Dr. Susan Stone, senior medical director with the L.A. Care Health Plan who has worked as an emergency room physician, said doctors used to be discouraged from getting involved, but now more doctors and hospitals are stepping forward. Some are screening patients with questions about gun access and mental health.
“We are starting to screen by asking patients simple questions,” Stone said, such as, “Do you have a gun in the house? How do you store it? Does it have a gun lock? Can your children get into it? Are you depressed? Do you need support?”
Stone said that depending on their responses, doctors can get patients help that could prevent a shooting.
“This is not just a job for law enforcement. Our whole community must be engaged,” she said. “Gun violence is a healthcare emergency.”
Kevin Orange, executive director of Advocates for Peace and Urban Unity, talked about the trauma suffered by survivors. He saw the pain on his mother’s face in 2007 when his twin brother was shot to death.
“Let me live. Let our kids live,” he said. “That speaks louder than anything we can talk about.”
Sometimes those who are gun violence victims, or who witnessed someone being shot, can suffer lifelong emotional scarring that can influence their behavior later in life, speakers said at the press conference.
“Hurt people are much more likely to hurt people,” Ferrer said, adding that providing counseling and victim assistance services are part of the county’s platform for addressing gun violence. “We have to start at the root causes by understanding what factors lead to violent behavior,” she added.
David Guizar, of South L.A., organized a victims’ rights group after his brother Gilbert was murdered in 2012. His other brother, Oscar, was also murdered, he said. As program manager of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, he said providing services to family members is critical.
But many who have lost loved ones to gun violence, , especially those who are Latino or Black, weren’t aware of county and city services that could help. “Oftentimes, they were discriminated against,” he said.
“We need to eliminate the red tape so they can access immediate services that can make a difference in eliminating retaliation,” Guizar said.
Providing counseling and other services can help “reverse the elements of intergenerational violence with intergenerational healing,” Guizar said.
While prayers and vigils after a mass shooting can be healing, Ferrer said the 40-point plan focuses on preventive actions, not reactions. “Right now, the most important place to be together is for us to take action,” she said.
To view the plan or get involved, contact the county’s Office of Violence Prevention at 626-293-2610 or ovp@ph.lacounty.edu.