SACRAMENTO, California — California's Office of Gun Violence Prevention recently released its first data report comparing gun violence stats in the state to other states in the country.
The report also aims to highlight the state's success in gun violence prevention efforts, said Attorney General Rob Bonta.
According to Bonta, the report showed California's gun death rate was 43% before the average rate recorded in the U.S.
California even experienced its lowest overall gun death rate on record in 2019 — then the state experienced spikes alongside the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data also showed spikes in law enforcement recovering unregistered guns known as 'ghost guns'.
Only 26 unregistered guns were recovered statewide in 2015. By 2021, the number went up to 12,388.
