Spurred by a recent spate of mass shootings, California lawmakers are gearing up to debate a host of bills that aim to reduce gun violence by strengthening the state’s strongest-in-the-nation firearm laws.
But the supermajority-Democratic Legislature should also seriously consider a proposal, authored by Republican Assembly Member Joe Patterson of Rocklin (Placer County), that approaches the problem from a different, oft-overlooked angle: classifying domestic violence as a “violent” crime, increasing penalties for the worst and most dangerous offenders.