Legal Community Against Violence
Encyclopedia
Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV) is a national public interest law center dedicated to preventing gun violence. LCAV provides legal assistance to elected officials, government attorneys and activists across the United States to promote effective, legally defensible laws and policies to reduce gun violence. LCAV also educates the public via print publications and media outreach about gun laws and gun control
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before turning a gun on himself. In response, Bay Area lawyers established LCAV.
LCAV began its work in 1993 by focusing on the local regulation of firearms in California, contributing to the significant growth of local gun laws. By 1999, the civil rights organization expanded onto the national stage to serve activists and public officials across the country, initially focusing on Illinois and Ohio where state law permits broad local regulation of firearms.
In 2001, LCAV launched its website, www.lcav.org, to provide access to the organization’s detailed gun law and policy-related materials, including summaries of federal, state and local firearms laws, detailed discussion of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, summaries of more than 35 firearm-related policies, research and analysis on firearms law and policy, amicus curiae briefs filed in firearm-related litigation, model legislation for states and localities to utilize, among many other resources. With the launch of the site, LCAV formally began offering legal support to activists and officials across the country.
Throughout the past decade, LCAV has expanded its presence as well as its role in stemming gun violence in America. LCAV launched a membership program to strengthen the legal community’s role in helping to stop gun violence, continues to publish comprehensive reports and analyses that discuss specific ways public officials and the American public can work to curb gun violence, and provides tools for them to do so.
Following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago, which interpreted the meaning and scope of the Second Amendment, LCAV has become increasingly involved in Second Amendment litigation by tracking post-Heller and post-McDonald cases raising Second Amendment claims.
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
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History & Gun Violence Prevention Work
LCAV formed in the wake of the July 1, 1993 assault weapon massacre at a law firm in downtown San Francisco. On that date, a gunman armed with two assault weapons and a 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol shot 14 people at the law firm of Pettit and Martin at 101 California Street in San Francisco101 California Street shootings
101 California Street Shootings is the name given to a mass shooting that took place July 1, 1993 in San Francisco, California, claiming the lives of nine people including the shooter. The killings sparked a number of legal and legislative actions that were precursors to the Violent Crime Control...
before turning a gun on himself. In response, Bay Area lawyers established LCAV.
LCAV began its work in 1993 by focusing on the local regulation of firearms in California, contributing to the significant growth of local gun laws. By 1999, the civil rights organization expanded onto the national stage to serve activists and public officials across the country, initially focusing on Illinois and Ohio where state law permits broad local regulation of firearms.
In 2001, LCAV launched its website, www.lcav.org, to provide access to the organization’s detailed gun law and policy-related materials, including summaries of federal, state and local firearms laws, detailed discussion of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, summaries of more than 35 firearm-related policies, research and analysis on firearms law and policy, amicus curiae briefs filed in firearm-related litigation, model legislation for states and localities to utilize, among many other resources. With the launch of the site, LCAV formally began offering legal support to activists and officials across the country.
Throughout the past decade, LCAV has expanded its presence as well as its role in stemming gun violence in America. LCAV launched a membership program to strengthen the legal community’s role in helping to stop gun violence, continues to publish comprehensive reports and analyses that discuss specific ways public officials and the American public can work to curb gun violence, and provides tools for them to do so.
Following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago, which interpreted the meaning and scope of the Second Amendment, LCAV has become increasingly involved in Second Amendment litigation by tracking post-Heller and post-McDonald cases raising Second Amendment claims.