The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday failed to advance a study on gun violence, along with recommendations, with supervisors deadlocking on a 2-2 vote.
The study, prepared by Health Assessment and Research for Communities, offered statistics, public input, key findings and methods to lessen the problem, including safe gun storage.
Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer voted in favor of the study, while Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed. The board's District 4 seat remains vacant following the resignation of Nathan Fletcher — accounting for Tuesday's tie.
According to the county board clerk, the board — which formally requested the gun violence study in April 2022 — may consider formally approving the report at a future meeting.
Vargas said the study was especially important, and cited Monday's death of a 1-year-old girl who was accidentally shot and killed by her 3-year- old sibling in Fallbrook.
Earlier in the meeting, Vargas said the plan "in no way restricts or limits gun ownership."
But Desmond said the report showed him that "we're dealing with a mental health crisis. That's absolutely where the focus needs to be."
HARC researcher Daniel Polk said community engagement was at the center of the study, and noted two surveys with over 1,000 responses, 12 public forums, a 16-member community advisory group, online public feedback and regular project updates.
He added that a variety of data sources were used, including emergency medical services, county agencies, the Automated Regional Justice Information System and independent research organizations.
One study finding said that, from 2017-22, there were 1,310 deaths from firearms in the county. The breakdown of those deaths, according to the study, was: 70.9% suicide, 28.9% homicide, and the remainder accidental or undetermined.
The firearm-related homicide rate increased by 56.3%, while the firearm-related suicide rate fell 18%.
Polk said he and others "heard a wide range of perspectives" on gun violence, with mental illness, drug abuse, crime, gang violence and lack of family/social support systems being listed as factors.
The public offered solutions such as better mental health care, strict enforcement of penalties for crimes, funding for community organizations, after-school programs and domestic violence support services.
Other recommendations in the study included a partnership to connect firearm-injury patients and their families to services such as mental health care or financial assistance; offering gun-lock devices free of charge; and outreach programs that focus on changing community norms about gun violence.
The recommendations "are a starting point for the county," Polk said.
Most speakers at Tuesday's public hearing supported making the report part of county policy.
Jill Cooper, of Never Again California and a retired teacher, discussed the experience of participating in a mass-shooting drill at a school.
"What if we could be proactive and turn troubled potential shooters away from violence?" Cooper asked. She added that the report shows what communities know: Gun violence is destroying them, and putting youth at risk.
Elizabeth Munoz, a member of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, said her son was killed in 2015 by gang members with guns.
"He was taken from us for no reason," she said. "The work you all have already started is so important for our community. From a mother of a murdered child: We need more."
Michael Schwartz of San Diego County Gun Owners said his group participated in the report listening sessions, offered feedback and went to presentations on the final results.
"It became pretty clear that the results from this study do not present the epidemic or crisis that the political rhetoric from the anti-gun groups" claim, he said. Schwartz said the county in generally is extremely safe and that, while tragic, gun deaths are a rarity.
He said the county already funds gun violence prevention, in the form of law enforcement, mental health programs and gang prevention efforts.
"We don't need more bureaucracy," he added.
Before the vote, Lawson-Remer also mentioned the Fallbrook tragedy and added that "if the gun had been safely stored, we might be having a different outcome. Safe storage saves lives."
"All of us are heartbroken over the constant drum beat of mass shootings," she added. "We have the power to change this."
However, Desmond pointed out that one in five adults in the United States now lives with mental illness, and that the San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this year reported that the rate of adults placed on 72-hour mental- health hold has almost doubled.
A safely stored gun is not violent, and clearly children shouldn't have access to loaded firearms, Desmond said. He said the recommendations don't go far enough in terms of mental health treatment, and that he wanted to see more emphasis on promoting safe storage.
Vargas released a statement after the meeting saying she was "extremely disappointed" in the tied vote.
"We must take politics out of this issue and focus on creating healthier and safer communities," Vargas said. "We do not intend to limit or restrict gun ownership but make it safer to own them."
She added that approving the study would have allowed the county to coordinate efforts to reduce gun violence, increase education in vulnerable communities and provide tools to help communities heal.
In a statement after the vote, Anderson said gun violence "is abhorrent, and I think we should focus on addressing the root of the issues."
Anderson added that 70% of total gun deaths were due to suicide, and, "This is why I have focused on investing in mental health, suicide prevention, law enforcement, and opportunities for people to improve their lives so that they don't turn to suicide and violence."
Lawson-Remer stated after the vote that even though county residents support common-sense gun safety reforms, "their wishes were thwarted by the radical gun lobby and the Republicans on the Board of Supervisors."
Lawson-Remer, a Democrat, said she was "appalled that on the day after a 1-year-old was tragically killed by her 3-year-old sibling who accessed an unsecured firearm, our board was unable to support even a simple educational campaign to promote safe storage and common sense gun safety.
"I will continue fighting to protect our children and communities from gun violence," she added.
