New Laws to Make Streets Safer

The month of July ushers in two new state laws that I authored – both of which have the goal of making our streets safer.

First, AB-1587 helps prevent gun violence by bringing in financial institutions as partners to flag suspicious activity. This legislation has two phases of implementation: A new merchant category code (MCC) must be ready now to assign to firearms and ammunitions retailers, allowing them to alert authorities when unusually large purchases are made. Then by May 2025, businesses must start using the code.

Used all around the world, MCCs are four-digit codes. Each one is assigned to particular types of products or services. In 2022, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) established one for the gun industry, bringing them in line with virtually all other retailers. Most everyday charges on our credit cards have an MCC tied to them. That is how our banks and credit unions are able to give points to their customers for certain purchases. Prior to having a code, firearms and ammunitions purchases were coded as “sporting goods” or “other.”

Credit card issuers are already trained to submit Suspicious Activity Reports to the federal government when they suspect activities are reflective of crimes, such as human trafficking, terrorism and fraud. The inclusion of gun and ammunition purchases could be impactful because between 2007 and 2018, credit cards were used to finance at least eight major mass shootings. Gun safety advocates say law enforcement might have prevented these shootings had financial institutions alerted authorities.

That is powerful. We must use every tool possible to end our gun violence epidemic. Financial institutions can now be a part of our efforts since they are in a unique position to flag buying patterns that no one else can.

The other bill taking effect is AB-449, requiring all law enforcement agencies to institute a hate crimes policy and follow specific guidelines when responding to such incidents. It is hard to believe there are some entities in our state that have zero hate crimes reported. That’s because they treat those cases like any other. In 2018, the state auditor found that California’s hate crimes are under-reported by 14%, due, in part, to outdated or non-existent policies – all of which contribute to an incomplete picture of hate in our state.

We can’t really solve a problem unless we have more complete data, and my hope is the numbers will guide us on what other laws or resources we need to prevent hate crimes. Look at what happened when Asian hate surged as COVID-19 spread. Frustrations over shutdowns and restrictions were violently taken out on members of the AAPI community, whose members were wrongly blamed for the pandemic. As the state implemented preventative measures, services for victims and education programs, Asian hate decreased steadily.

But we are not out of the woods yet. Overall, hate crimes against other groups based on race, religion and sexual orientation in California have been rising. When we standardize the way law enforcement handles, classifies and reports hate crimes, the better the information we have. From there, we tailor solutions to stop these acts of biases.

As the legislative year winds down, I have several more proposals working their way through Sacramento this year that may become law, including a more equitable college admissions process, increased public safety when autonomous vehicles are on the road, and a prohibition of tolls for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing bridges. I will update you this fall once the state Senate and governor take action.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the west side of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma and Daly City as well as part of South San Francisco.