Dear City Council members, I recently learned that the Safe Storage of Firearms Ordinance (No. 1067) was removed from consideration before final passage because someone threatened to sue the City if it was approved. I understand that we are in a severe budget crisis due to the Coronavirus shutdowns and that defending lawsuits, even frivolous ones, can be expensive. However, I have also learned that Everytown For Gun Safety has offered to defend any potential lawsuit for free. I urge the City to return this matter to the agenda ASAP and pass it into law. With more people sheltering in their homes full time there is an increased danger of high risk persons gaining access to unsecured firearms. This is very important to me personally. My daughter, Rachel, struggled with issues of self-worth as a teenager. We know that many of our teens struggle with these issues in the hyper-competitive environment of the bay area. One day, everything seemed too hard and Rachel attempted suicide. Because guns are stored safely in our home, Rachel chose another method for her suicide attempt. Firearm suicide is fatal 85% of the time, whereas attempts by other methods are fatal 5% of the time. Rachel is alive today because our firearms are safely stored and she was able to get the help she needed to work through her issues. Studies show that when there are unlocked firearms in the home, teens know where they are and are at increased risk of harming themselves or others. There is also increased risk that a small child unintentionally shoot someone else, causing tragedy to everyone involved. Please reconsider this ordinance and help keep our families safe. In regard to the threatened legal action, Sunnyvale was the first city in California to enact safe storage regulations. The NRA fought that legislation all the way to the Supreme Count, unsuccessfully. Sunnyvale was represented by Giffords Law Center, without cost to the city. Please, take a stand for the safety of our children and pass safe storage legislation. Everytown For Gun Safety is willing to stand with the citizens of Menlo Park if there is a legal action. Given the laws already in existence that our Safe Storage ordinance is patterned on, this is most likely an idle threat and we have a partner who is willing to stand with us. Take action for Rachel and others like her. Thank-you, Yvonne Murray 4 Elder Ct Menlo Park, CA Received on Wed Jul 01 2020 - 16:31:08 PDT
