New data from the FBI’s Active Shooter Report confirms what critics of progressive crime policy have long argued. California led the nation in “active shooter incidents” during the five year period from 2020 through 2024.
Figures published in the FBI’s official report show that California recorded 25 “active shooter incidents” over that span, the highest total of any state in the country.
John Binder of Breitbart News noted that these findings reinforce earlier federal data showing California topping the national list in individual years as well. Previous Breitbart reporting noted that California led the nation in “active shooter incidents” in both 2021 and 2023, even as it ranked first nationwide in gun control.
California enforces one of the most restrictive firearm regimes in the United States. Its laws include an “assault weapons” ban, a prohibition on so-called “high capacity” magazines, universal background checks, red flag laws, a bump stock ban, and extensive “ghost gun” regulations. Law-abiding citizens must also comply with a 10-day waiting period, firearm registration requirements, strict concealed carry permitting, and limits on how many firearms can be purchased each month.
Additional restrictions prohibit lawful carry on college campuses, ban K through 12 teachers from being armed for classroom defense, mandate firearm storage rules, and impose sweeping ammunition controls. These measures are routinely promoted by state leaders as essential to public safety.
Even gun control advocates acknowledge the scope of California’s regulatory approach. Mike Bloomberg funded Everytown for Gun Safety states that “California has the strongest gun laws in the country.” The same organization reports that an average of 3,333 people die each year from firearm related deaths in California.
California’s record exposes the central lie of modern gun control. Disarming responsible Americans does not stop violent criminals, and five years of FBI data make that unmistakably clear. The rest of the country should reject California’s failed experiment and protect gun rights as the Founding Fathers intended.
