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Our History
Legal Community Against Violence grew out of a terrible tragedy – the July 1, 1993 assault weapon rampage that began at a law firm at 101 California Street in San Francisco and ended with nine people dead, including the shooter, and six wounded, one of whom subsequently died. Within days of the shooting, Bay Area lawyers formed LCAV.
One of our first projects was to mobilize the Bay Area legal community to support enactment of the 1994 federal assault weapon ban. We then concentrated our efforts on California, providing legal assistance to California communities seeking to adopt and defend local gun regulations. Our services contributed to the adoption of hundreds of California firearms ordinances, many of which inspired state legislation that now places California at the forefront of gun policy reform. We learned that we could make the greatest difference and meet the greatest need by working at the state and local level.
In 1999, in response to requests from communities outside California, we extended our services and now offer free nationwide assistance to advocates and community leaders working to prevent gun violence. We have documented a tremendous need for legal information and assistance to support the efforts of public officials, law enforcement and activists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia who are seeking local or statewide policy reform.
Today, LCAV is the leading resource on firearms law and policy in the U.S. Our website, www.lcav.org, provides in-depth summaries of federal, state and local firearms laws and policies. We also make available on our website detailed gun violence prevention research and analysis, including publications and reports, model laws, materials that thoroughly examine the Second Amendment, and statistics, study findings and polling useful to bolster the arguments in favor of strong gun laws.
Dedication
Our work is dedicated to the victims of the shooting at 101 California Street, San Francisco, on July 1, 1993, and to their families.
In Memory of
Brian Berger - Allen J. Berk - Jack Berman - Deborah Fogel - Donald "Mike" Merrill
Shirley R. Mooser - John C. Scully - Jody Jones Sposato - David Sutcliffe
LCAV Milestones
| 1993 | On July 1, a gunman armed with two assault weapons and a 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol shot 14 people at the law firm of Pettit and Martin at 101 California Street in San Francisco before turning a gun on himself. In response, Bay Area lawyers establish LCAV. LCAV begins its first year by mobilizing the Bay Area legal community to support adoption of the federal assault weapon ban. |
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| 1995 |
LCAV initiates its Local Ordinance Project to support the local regulation of firearms in California, contributing to the significant growth of local gun laws. LCAV offers workshops, drafts model laws, and otherwise assists community activists and government officials working for stronger state and local measures. |
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| 1996 |
LCAV issues its first of many reports, brochures and other publications in support of gun violence prevention, beginning with Addressing Gun Violence Through Local Ordinances: A Legal Resource Manual for California Cities and Counties, the first in a series of ordinance manuals for local jurisdictions in California (1996-2000). |
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| 1998 |
LCAV files its first amicus curiae brief in firearm-related litigation, joining the City and County of San Francisco in Cal. Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. City of W. Hollywood, an action challenging West Hollywood’s landmark ordinance prohibiting the sale of "junk guns." |
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| 1999 |
LCAV expands onto the national stage and begins to serve activists and public officials across the country, initially focusing on Illinois and Ohio where state law permits broad local regulation of firearms. Similar to its work in California, LCAV offers workshops, drafts model regulations, surveys local gun laws, assists activists and officials working for stronger state and local measures, and enlists volunteer attorneys across the country. |
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| 2001 |
LCAV launches its website, www.lcav.org, to provide detailed summaries of federal, state and local firearms laws, and research and analysis on firearms law and policy, among other resources. With the launch of the site, LCAV formally offers legal support to activists and officials across the country. |
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| 2003 |
LCAV issues its first California Report: Recent Developments in Federal, State and Local Gun Laws, the beginning of a series of annual reports discussing developments in gun law and policy at the state and local level (2003, 2004, 2006-2009). |
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| 2004 | Based on successful efforts to mobilize attorneys in California, Illinois and Ohio, LCAV reaches out to lawyers and other supporters across the country and launches a membership program to strengthen the legal community’s role in ending gun violence. |
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| 2006 |
LCAV publishes Regulating Guns in America – An Evaluation and Comparative Analysis of Federal, State and Selected Local Gun Laws, a comprehensive, national review of federal and state laws covering 20 gun policy topics. |
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| 2007 |
Expanding its work in Illinois, LCAV launches the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a research-based public education campaign to promote gun policy reform in Illinois. |
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| 2008 |
LCAV coordinates amicus curiae briefs in support of the District of Columbia in the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which considered whether an individual right to own a firearm exists under the Second Amendment. Following Heller, LCAV issues the educational brochure Gun Regulation and the Second Amendment: Moving Forward After District of Columbia v Heller to inform that governments continue to have broad authority to regulate guns. LCAV also begins to officially sponsor legislation in California, starts a partnership with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to provide detailed tracking of state legislation and additional research support, and formalizes its approach to utilizing law firms and lawyers on a pro bono basis. |
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| 2009 |
Similar to the Heller case, LCAV coordinates the amicus briefs in support of the City of Chicago in another landmark U.S. Supreme Court case interpreting the Second Amendment: McDonald v. Chicago (which considered whether the Second Amendment restricts state or local government action regulating firearms). |
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| 2010 |
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in McDonald v. Chicago finding that the Second Amendment does limit state and local action, LCAV becomes increasingly involved in Second Amendment litigation by tracking post-Heller and post-McDonald Second Amendment litigation. |
LCAV Major Publications History
| 1996 |
Addressing Gun Violence Through Local Ordinances: A Legal Resource Manual for California Cities and Counties (recurring series, 1996-2000).
Communities on the Move: How California Communities are Addressing the Epidemic of Handgun Violence (recurring series, 1996-1998, 2000). |
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| 2003 |
California Report: Recent Developments in Federal, State and Local Gun Laws (recurring series, 2003, 2004, 2006-2009). |
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| 2004 |
Banning Assault Weapons – A Legal Primer for State and Local Action. |
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| 2006 |
Regulating Guns in America – An Evaluation and Comparative Analysis of Federal, State and Selected Local Gun Laws (recurring series, 2006, 2008). |
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| 2008 |
Gun Regulation and the Second Amendment: Moving Forward After District of Columbia v. Heller. |
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| 2009 |
10 Myths About Gun Violence in America.
America Caught in the Crossfire: How Concealed Carry Laws Threaten Public Safety. |
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| 2010 |
Open Carrying: Provocative Conduct, Dangerous Consequences.
Gun Laws Matter: A Comparison of State Firearms Laws and Statistics.
The 2010 Report: Recent Developments in Federal, State and Local Gun Laws. |
Learn More
Our Mission & Philosophy
Our Services
Our Work
Gun Violence Statistics
Gun Regulation Polling
Links to Violence Prevention Resources
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