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 The move follows the Isla Vista killings in Southern California in
May, when 22-year-old Elliot Rodger fatally shot and stabbed six
people before killing himself near the University of California
Santa Barbara campus.
Less than a month before the killings, local law enforcement carried
out a "welfare check" on Rodger. Welfare checks are inquiries into
the well-being of a person, motivated by concern that they may pose
a danger to themselves or others.
California state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, whose district
includes Isla Vista and who introduced the bill, said it would never
be known for sure whether a gun database search then might have led
to a different outcome in the case of Rodger.
 "But the next time California experiences a similar tragedy, we
shouldn't be left wondering," she said. "Searches of the gun
database can be done in as little as 90 seconds, and those 90
seconds can help save lives."
The bill requires law enforcement to search the California
Department of Justice's Automated Firearms System database prior to
conducting welfare checks on individuals to find out if they own a
gun. Exceptions are made for "exigent" circumstances.
The state Senate voted 32-0 to approve the bill, which is expected
to cost the state about $400,000 per year and now heads to
California Governor Jerry Brown's desk.
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It had been opposed by the California Association of Federal
Firearms Licensees. Its president, Brandon Combs, said that in the
last three days the association changed its stance to neutral/watch
in response to amendments that were made to the bill.
(Reporting by Aaron Mendelson; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Lisa
Shumaker and Eric Beech)
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