Mayor Edwin M. Lee today during the Technology and Innovation Task Force of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 84th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. issued an Executive Directive to change San Francisco’s purchasing protocol to prioritize the purchase of firearms and ammunition from socially responsible manufacturers and distributors. The Mayor’s action leverages the City’s purchasing power and potentially that of other cities to support manufacturers and dealers that have already implemented industry best practices and encourages others in the industry to adopt the highest level of responsibility and safety in the manufacturing and sales of firearms and ammunition.

“President Obama’s actions on reducing gun violence will make our cities safer, with more background checks, increased access to mental health treatment to prevent violence and more investments in gun safety technology,” said Mayor Lee. “Senseless gun violence is occurring all too frequently, and we must do everything we can to reduce gun violence in our communities and ensure every resident is safe. Here in San Francisco, we are taking local action by leveraging our City’s purchasing power to tell the gun industry that safety is our number one priority and we only want to do business with those that understand this.”

Mayor Lee’s Executive Directive administratively reforms the City’s purchasing protocol to give preference to socially responsible manufacturers and distributors when procuring firearms and ammunition for public safety agencies. Such manufacturers would qualify as “socially responsible” by showing to the City proof of practices including:

• The company’s standards and criteria for selecting dealers authorized to sell the company’s firearms;
• Standards in terms of security;
• Record keeping of inventory and transactions;
• Employee training to detect “straw buyers”;
• Cooperation with law enforcement;
• Education of buyers on gun safety and storage; and
• The company’s activities and goals with respect to gun safety and ammunition tracing technologies.

In his Executive Directive, Mayor Lee has directed the City’s Office of Contract Administration to reform the purchasing protocol to prioritize industry best practices while maintaining the highest level of safety for residents and law enforcement personnel. In order to achieve these goals, the Office of Contract Administration will work with the Mayor’s Office and other City departments to review the City’s past and present sources for firearms and ammunition to identify opportunities for more socially responsible procurement practices.

The goal of this local directive is to leverage the City’s purchasing power to support those manufacturers and dealers that have already implemented industry best practices, and to encourage others in the industry to do the same. San Francisco will also be coordinating with the Bay Area region and other large cities to collaboratively develop internal guidelines and to use collective purchasing power to promote the highest industry standards for the responsible manufacturing and sales of firearms and ammunition.