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View Winners → Local officials mark 6 months since Monterey Park mass shooting
San Gabriel Valley Jul 22, 2023
| Image courtesy of Judy Chu/Twitter
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Marking the six-month anniversary of a shooting that left 11 people dead and nine others wounded at a Monterey Park dance studio, local elected officials Friday touted a pair of proposed federal bills aimed at reducing gun violence.
“To keep guns out of the hands of those who are a clear danger to themselves or others and to protect communities across the country, everyone in America, no matter what language they speak, needs equal access to gun safety and prevention strategies,” Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with Sen. (Kirsten) Gillibrand to strengthen and expand access to ‘red flag’ laws with proven effectiveness at decreasing gun deaths.”
Chu gathered with local residents and other elected officials Friday outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, where a gunman carried out a mass shooting on Jan. 21. The man subsequently went to the Lai Laid Studio and Ballroom in neighboring Alhambra, but an employee disarmed him before he could make his way to the dance floor.
The gunman who perpetrated the Monterey Park mass shooting — 72-year-old Huu Can Tran — killed himself the following day after he was pulled over by police outside a Torrance strip mall.
During Friday’s news conference, Sheriff Robert Luna disclosed that the gunman had sent a “manifesto” to law enforcement prior to the shooting, but he declined to say what it contained. He said it was being reviewed by federal investigators, and a motive for the attack remains unknown.
Meanwhile, Chu touted a two pieces of proposed legislation — the Language Access to Gun Violence Prevention Strategies Act and the FLAG, or Fair Legal Access Grants, Act. She said the first would ensure multilingual outreach efforts about red flag laws and gun violence prevention, while the second would provide funding to ensure proper legal representation for people seeking to file red flag petitions to keep guns away from people with mental health or other issues precluding them from owning weapons.
“The Language Access to Gun Violence Prevention Strategies Act and FLAG Act would assist family members and other community members in navigating the complicated legal system when seeking to temporarily disarm someone showing signs of violence,” Chu said. “By ensuring more communities have in the tools to prevent gun violence, we will help honor the Americans we’ve lost in cities and towns across the country — including my hometown of Monterey Park.”
Chu introduced the first piece of legislation, while Gillibrand, D-New York, introduced the FLAG Act.
“Strengthening red flag laws across the country will help make our communities safer — period,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “All too often, school administrators, law enforcement officers, and everyday people don’t have the time or support needed to navigate our court system and successfully file a red flag claim when they notice an individual with access to firearms exhibiting troubling or potentially dangerous behavior.”
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