The state has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, but some of the loosest and most permissive in the Western world.
While Chen and her family were not in attendance, the attack hit very close to home. Star Ballroom was one of a handful of studios that Chen’s son and daughter frequented as competitive dancers, and they considered themselves a part of its tight-knit community. "I know those people who normally go to the dance party and that studio," she tells"Nobody would have thought this would be their last dance.
Ranked the no. 1 state for gun safety in 2021 by Giffords Law Center, California sees around a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people compared to 13.7 deaths per 100,000 nationally. And while the state has certainly had a number of notable mass shootings throughout recent history, it is typically viewed as exempt from the near-constant gun-related attacks that plague other parts of the U.S.
After enacting a compromise bill last year, congressional Democrats are once again calling to reimpose the federal ban on assault weapons that expired nearly 20 years ago, a push that President Joe Biden has echoed heavily. A number of leaders are also looking to prioritize a licensing bill, which would require gun owners across the country to hold a license to carry a gun.
"This sort of gun violence is a uniquely American problem, and it causes very real trauma every time it happens," she explains. "So, the focus really needs to be on mental health impact, to holistically look at the health and wellbeing of all American residents and community members."
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