San Diego County’s efforts to crack down on gun violence have been profitable, an annual report says, though it emphasizes that the work must proceed.
Knowledge launched final week exhibits that seizures of untraceable “ghost weapons” dropped 39% in 2024.
The county’s annual report on gun violence credit the drops with a mixed effort of focused enforcement, authorized motion, and community-based prevention efforts.
“In 2022, PMF recoveries declined for the primary time in 5 years, dropping to 207 — a 22% lower from the earlier yr,” the report mentioned. “The downward pattern continued, with 210 PMFs recovered in 2023, adopted by an extra lower to 129 recovered in 2024. This represents a 39% decline between 2023 and 2024.”
The report additionally famous a serious decline in gun-related homicides and suicides.
“We’ve banned ghost weapons, handed secure storage legal guidelines, and sued the businesses that flood our communities with untraceable weapons — and the info exhibits it’s working,” mentioned San Diego County Board of Supervisors Appearing Chair Terra Lawson-Remer in an announcement.
“Once we banned ghost weapons and began suing the businesses behind them, we despatched a transparent message: these weapons don’t have any place in San Diego… now we’re seeing the outcomes — fewer gross sales, fewer weapons, fewer lives in danger.”
In accordance with the county’s newest report:
- Ghost gun recoveries dropped 39% in 2024, the steepest single-year decline in 5 years
- Firearm-related suicides fell 19% within the final yr alone, and are down 5% total since 2020
- Firearm-related homicides have declined 21% since 2020
- Since 2021, over 2,600 firearms have been voluntarily turned in at County gun security occasions
- In 2024, the Sheriff’s Division filed 368 prison fees tied to ghost gun seizures — together with for manufacturing, possession, and distribution.
The county can be increasing violence prevention efforts, equivalent to hospital-based intervention packages, community-based outreach in susceptible areas, and ramping up public schooling about gun violence and safety.
