The deadliest school shooting in Georgia state history occurred last month, highlighting the unique danger faced by those who live in states with little leadership in gun violence prevention. People in red states are much more likely to die from gun violence than those in blue states. It’s a shocking statistic that seems contradictory, but it’s very true. Vice President Harris’ gun violence prevention agenda can further save the lives of those living in red states.

The tragic result of years of refusal by state legislators (especially those in red states) to implement common sense measures to prevent gun violence is clear. Today, nine of the ten states with the highest rates of gun deaths are deep red, like Mississippi, which ranks first in the nation for the highest rate of gun deaths, with 29, 7 per 100,000 Mississippians killed by gunshots last year. In contrast, of the states that have the lowest rates of gun deaths, nine of the ten states are blue.

Rhode Islanders, for example, are 10 times less likely to be shot to death than Mississippians. Simply put, Democratic states are much more effective at protecting the public from dangerous people carrying guns because they have sought and implemented solutions. The difference in gun violence prevention efforts in red versus blue states is extreme and quantifiable: Seventeen of the 21 states that passed red flag laws have or had Democratic-controlled legislatures, two are swing states (Nevada and Michigan) and only two, Florida. and Indiana, are red states. In states without red flag laws, people who observe signs of predictable gun violence cannot use the law to prevent a gun violence tragedy and must instead wait for a tragedy to occur.

Leading the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Vice President Harris has crafted a gun violence prevention agenda focused on red flag laws because they work. Alert laws, also known as gun violence restraining orders (GVROs) or extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), empower certain people, usually a family member or authorities, to intervene in a crisis by requesting a court order to temporarily remove access. to weapons by a gun owner who may harm himself or another person.

My state, California, was one of the first states in the nation to pass a red flag law nearly a decade ago following a shooting outside the University of California, Santa Barbara. Since then, my office, in collaboration with the San Diego Police Department, has obtained more GVROs than any other city in the United States, which is a sobering statistic. GVROs have helped us take 3,700 guns off the streets and away from dangerous people. Since 2017, we have created infrastructure and response systems that ensure we can quickly defuse dangerous situations. This is one of the reasons why San Diego is one of the safest big cities in the United States.

The current Supreme Court, often considered the most pro-gun in our nation’s history, recently ruled that alert laws are constitutional and do not infringe on Second Amendment rights. The 29 states without red flag laws, including Georgia, should pass red flag laws immediately. In March, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $750 million in federal funding to implement state crisis intervention programs, including early warning programs.

These funds can be used to train judiciary and court staff on warning procedures, to educate family members so they know what they can do when they see warning signs, and to train first responders to recognize crisis signs . All states with red flag laws must use these funds to ensure the effective implementation of this powerful crisis intervention tool.

The power to offer more than thoughts and prayers lies with those of us who have the courage to embrace it.

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