New program aims to keep guns away from domestic abusers

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office announced Saturday that it has brought criminal cases against several individuals under a new program designed to keep guns away from people who have been charged with or convicted of domestic violence.

City Atty. Mike Feuer said that four people have been accused of attempting to buy firearms even though they had records of domestic violence, including active restraining orders.

All the defendants are charged with falsely stating on gun sales records that they were not subject to restraining orders, had no convictions for domestic abuse or were ever accused of the crime.

One defendant was charged with two additional counts of attempting to purchase a firearm while subject to a restraining order. The law requires that anyone served with such an order must surrender or sell their firearms within 24 hours.

The prosecutions stem from a new protocol recently developed by the city attorney’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department. It is designed to bring criminal cases against domestic abusers who buy guns, remove firearms from them and increase public awareness about the problem.

“When I became city attorney, I made it a priority to lead an aggressive effort to prevent gun violence,” Feuer said. “We are implementing innovative ways to combat gun violence, emphasizing the area of domestic abuse.”

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