Contra Costa County Approves Gun Storage Ordinance

On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to an ordinance that will require gun owners in unincorporated Contra Costa County to lock up their guns.

“This is something that I appreciate the work of county counsel on this. I think they have drafted an ordinance that works really well as providing an explanation,” said Andersen.

The item was brought forward earlier this year by Andersen who said many communities did pass a similar ordinance but in the Town of Danville it became controversial and did not move forward.

“I am just going to put out there that I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment of our Constitution and nothing we are doing today takes away someone’s right to bare arms,” said Andersen. “Regulating the storage of weapons is something the courts and legislators have long recognized as something that is appropriate.”

Andersen said the policy does not prevent someone from carrying their weapons in their home at all times or have immediate access—people can still quickly access a weapon should they need too.

“To me, it’s a very common sense approach to keeping our community safer by keeping guns away from children or individuals who should not have access to them due to their propensity to violence or their mental state,” said Andersen. “What ahs really been concerning to me is the likelihood of weapons being stolen during a burglary and then used in the commission of other crimes. Just two weeks ago, I was in the community speaking with some of our deputies, who said there’d just been a burglary in the community, in Alamo, once again, a gun was stolen.”

Andersen further highlighted she spoke to many people on the topic and most gun owners, with the exception of one person, lock up their guns when they were not using them—most stated they thought it was already the law and question why someone would not even lock up their gun.

According to the staff report, Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Between 2015 and 2022, there were over 2,800 unintentional shootings by children age 17 and younger. These shootings resulted in 1,083 deaths and 1,815 nonfatal injuries.

“Today we are talking about a commonsense approach to keeping weapons properly locked up,” said Andersen.

The item passed in a 4-0 vote with Supervisor Diane Burgis absent.

Back in July, the Board of Supervisors agreed to create a gun storage ordinance and directed county counsel to create an ordinance mandating safe storage in all unincorporated areas of the county—noting many cities in the county already have in place.

According to the Gun Storage Ordinance:

• Require safe storage of firearms in residences located in unincorporated Contra Costa County, through the use of a locked container or a firearm safety device
• A person may not keep a firearm in any residence owned or controlled by that person unless the firearm is stored in a locked container, or the firearm is disabled with a firearm safety device, that is listed on the California Department of Justice’s roster of approved firearm safety devices and is identified by the California Department of Justice as appropriate for that firearm by reference to either the manufacturer and model of the firearm or to the physical characteristics of the firearm that match those listed on the roster for use with the firearm safety device
• To encourage the reporting of lost or stolen firearms, a person who complies with California Penal Code section 25250 by reporting the loss or theft of a firearm the person owns or possesses to a local law enforcement agency within five days from the time they knew or reasonably should have known the firearm had been lost or stolen shall not be prosecuted for a violation of this chapter.
  • A violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor and is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both.

• A copy of the gun storage ordinance – click here
• Findings in support of Safe Storage of Firearms – click here

Editors notes

• July 22, 2023 – Contra Costa County Agrees to Create Gun Storage Ordinance
• Feb 1, 2023 – Governor Newsom Takes Action to Strengthen California’s Gun Safety Laws
• Nov 30, 2022 – Lafayette Council Unanimously Passes Safe Firearms Storage Ordinance
• June 2022 – Walnut Creek approves firearm storage ordinance
• Jan 2022 – Antioch approves firearm storage ordinance
• Oct 2021 – Brentwood took NO ACTION on a potential firearm storage ordinance
• Oct. 2018 – Orinda approves firearm storage ordinance
• Feb 2018 – Moraga approves firearm storage ordinance