SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The City Attorney's Office has obtained gun violence restraining orders against 10 San Diegans they say "posed a serious danger to themselves and others."
The orders require the gun owners to surrender or sell all their firearms and not to acquire or possess any firearms or ammunition for one year, which is the maximum length of time allowable by law.
"Our federal government is inexcusably ignoring the growing problem of gun violence in our schools and communities. The City of San Diego will not tolerate federal inaction," City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a release. "We’re doing everything in our power to respond to this epidemic of senseless killing by removing guns from the hands of unstable and irresponsible gun owners."
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The cases presented by the office include individuals believed to be suffering from mental health problems:
"A 23-year-old ex-marine who had developed a paranoia that all males wanted to harm him. He had walked into a Kearny Mesa auto parts store with a loaded handgun, but called police before shooting anyone.
A 39-year-old San Carlos man who, while intoxicated (at three times the legal limit), believed he was shooting at raccoons and rats in his backyard. Terrified neighbors called police as bullets flew into their backyards.
A 60-year-old otay mesa man who grabbed a .38 revolver and fled his home after his family discovered he was molesting his grandchild. The man was arrested with the gun in his vehicle.
An 81-year-old man from Carmel Mountain who threatened to shoot his 75-year-old wife and a neighbor because he believed they were having an affair. His wife escaped the house, barefoot, by climbing a fence and running through cactus. His family reported him to be in the early stages of dementia.
A 53-year-old Allied Gardens man with significant mental health issues who used a firecracker to damage a neighbor’s front door. Neighbors called police after hearing what they thought were gun shots coming from his apartment. Officers seized a bayonetted rifle and two illegal high-capacity magazines from his apartment.
A 38-year-old Allied Gardens man who threatened to kill himself, his wife, and their young child if she left him. His wife had overheard him distraught and crying in the bathroom, and cocking his .40 caliber pistol.
A 28-year-old Mission Valley man who grabbed a gun case and threatened suicide. When his exgirlfriend tried to call for help, he grabbed her by her hair, threw her on the ground, and pushed her head into a wall. Police seized two handguns, two rifles, and a shotgun.
A 33-year-old Mid-City man who locked his wife in a car with him, threatening her with a loaded firearm. When the San Diego Police Department arrived on the scene and searched the car, they found a meth pipe along with two loaded firearms that did not belong to him. He later surrendered a Glock 9mm and a .380 handgun.
A 35-year-old Allied Gardens man with a small arsenal and a history of domestic violence, whose wife suffered a serious laceration to her forehead and feared he might kill her. The man owned a 9mm pistol, a mosquito semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger .22, a Springfield .40 caliber pistol, a Ruger rifle, a Mossberg shotgun, and an unmarked handgun.
A 40-year-old La Jolla man who told his fiancé by text message that he wanted to shoot her in the head, then visited his fiancé’s ex-boyfriend and threatened to kill him while holding a knife behind his back. The man surrendered a handgun and an AR-15, the semi-automatic rifle."
California state law allows family members, housemates, and officers may petition to have a person's access to firearms denied if they pose a danger to themselves or others. Courts may also grant an extension of the order if they find it appropriate.
A spokesperson for San Diego County Gun Owners, a pro-gun group, said they had no comment on the law.
10News is reaching out to the local NRA chapter for comment.
