After San Bernardino Shooting, California Governor Jerry Brown Calls For Stricter Gun Laws

California Gov. Jerry Brown called for stronger federal gun laws Monday as San Bernardino County employees returned to work less than a week after a deadly shooting in the city left 14 people dead and more than 21 wounded. The Democratic governor said Nevada and Arizona's looser gun laws were "a gigantic backdoor through which any terrorist can walk" and also said gun purchases by individuals on the no-fly list should be banned. He said Congress needed to “get off their partisan seat and do something to protect the American people,” according to the Sacramento Bee.

At the same time, as authorities continued to investigate the motive of Wednesday's shooting, representatives of the county spoke about the community's resiliency during a televised press conference Monday morning. “Our employees are going back to work today, because, while they are ordinary people, they are also extraordinary people who are overcoming their fear and returning to the dedicated public services that they give every day,” Janice Rutherford, a county supervisor, said. “We stand with them to tell the terrorists that you may not have our fear, you may not have our liberty, and you may not have our love, those are the things that make us different and distinct.”

One county representative said counseling centers would be available for employees to help them move beyond the incident. “We stand united, we believe in each other, and we shall overcome,” Josie Gonzales, another San Bernardino county supervisor said. “There are many, many opportunities by which our good county employees will be able to come together as we begin today to move forward.”

Medical workers and those who worked at the center that was attacked in San Bernardino shared their experiences the day of the shooting. San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman James Ramos said officials planned to expedite new security measures in the area.

Law enforcement have determined that the guns were bought legally, although alterations were made to the guns that made them illegal. The FBI is investigating the shootings as a possible act of terrorism. The married couple that carried out the attack, Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, are believed to have expressed sympathies for the so-called Islamic State group.

Trudy Raymundo, director of San Bernardino County Public Health Department, who was present during the attack, said she appreciated the displays of support from around the world. “We have received your word of support, your offers of condolence, your offers of help and we are grateful for them,” she said. “Today I want to ask the community to mourn with us to come together and mourn with us the loss of our colleagues, of our friends and our loved ones… it is this strength that will help us heal.