By Daniella Dueñas
SACRAMENTO, CA – Newly passed California legislation that targets the national issue of gun violence—Assembly Bill 1929, authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills)—has now been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
This new legislation calls for further funding of different safety measures, such as Medi-Cal reimbursement of programs for violence prevention, and lawmaker Gabriel urges these programs “have proven to be successful at reducing violence and saving lives.”
Within the last few years, there have been hundreds of mass shootings, including the Uvalde shooting at an elementary school on May 24, which ended with 19 children and two teachers dead. The number of mass shootings over the years has only increased, with the fatalities increasing as well. 
The bill’s author notes that not only do mass shootings result in fatalities, but studies also show many surviving victims of mass shootings may be re-injured or may also have an increased chance of becoming violent with others.
According to studies, “41 percent of patients treated for violent injuries, such as shootings, are re-injured within five years.” It’s called a “revolving door” phenomenon.
Without these programs allowed in the measure, at-risk patients are left vulnerable and unprepared, explained Dr. Lori Winston, President of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, who added, “After treatment, at-risk patients are often discharged right back into the same conditions.”
She and other supporters maintain to combat the aforementioned consequences of mass shooting and gun violence, there has been a strong effort to create and maintain violence prevention programs.
These programs, the bill’s supporters note, are very effective, sending community-based prevention specialists to hospitals to help guide patients to recover and in effect lower the possibility of re-injury or violent behaviors.
According to a study in San Francisco, the Wrap-Around Project discovered that within a decade, 466 clients joined the program and experienced a 50 percent decline in re-injury rate.
Dr. Winston said, “Violence prevention services have proven to address the root causes of violence and stop that revolving door.” 
