Senator Portantino’s Campus Safety Bill Passes Senate Floor

For Immediate Release: May 24, 2022

Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400

Senator Portantino’s Campus Safety Bill Passes Senate Floor

Sacramento, CA - Senate Bill 906, a bill authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) that prioritizes student and campus safety, passed the Senate floor today.  By promoting safe at-home storage of firearms and quick, robust investigations of imminent violent school threats, SB 906 aims to prevent tragic shootings on our campuses.  Recent tragic shootings across the country have highlighted the need for prudent public safety requirements on campuses.

“We must be proactive and adopt common sense measures to prevent future violence at our schools,” stated Senator Anthony Portantino.  “SB 906 can help prepare educators and parents to identify red flags and heed warning signs.  There can sometimes be hesitancy in acting on these warning signs – as we saw in Michigan - and a comprehensive safety plan for campuses is necessary to help save lives.”

Since 1970, the United States has had 1,316 school shootings with 164 occurring in California.  As experienced in Michigan, these shootings are too often fatal.   Senator Portantino is following up on his safe storage of firearms legislation with a comprehensive school safety plan, which includes a strong and prudent mandate to follow through on threats.

“Women Against Gun Violence strongly supports SB 906, impactful legislation that will make a difference in helping keep Californians safe,” stated Margot Bennett, Executive Director of Women Against Gun Violence. 

SB 906 would:

Require the State Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Justice, to develop model content for public or charter schools on a threat or perceived threat of a mass shooting incident

Upon becoming aware of a credible violent threat, schools must immediately report that threat to the law enforcement authorities, and school leaders, in consultation with law enforcement, must search a student’s on campus property for the presence of firearms

Schools are required to include information related to the safe storage of firearms in the annual notification provided to the parents or guardians.

“We are very glad to see that SB 906 passed out of the California Senate today, placing student safety at the forefront of the people's agenda.  SB 906 will help keep our schools and our communities safer by being able to better assess and respond to future threats of gun violence,” stated Jeff Freitas, President of the California Federation of Teachers.

Senator Portantino has a long history of advocating for smart and sensible solutions to our nation’s tragic history of gun violence. During his time in the Assembly, the Senator successfully banned the open carry of handguns and rifles in California and as Senator, he raised the general gun purchase age in California to twenty-one.  In 2019, Governor Newsom also signed Senator Portantino’s SB 172.  The bill enacted a slate of significant provisions related to firearms storage by broadening criminal storage crimes, adding criminal storage offenses to those offenses that can trigger a 10-year firearm ban, and creating an exemption to firearm loan requirements for the purposes of preventing suicide.  The same year, SB 376 was signed into law, which reduces the number of firearms an unlicensed individual is annually able to sell and the frequency with which they are able to sell.  In 2021, Senate Bill 715 was signed into law, which enacts important gun purchase safeguards.  SB 906 continues the Senator’s legacy as one of California’s most ardent gun reform advocates.

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