Mayor Lurie Launches New Public Safety Initiative to Protect San Francisco's Families From Gun Violence

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today launched the new SFPD Pierce’s Pledge Gun Safety Storage Program in partnership with District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill and gun violence prevention leaders. Through a new partnership with Pierce’s Pledge, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) will offer San Franciscans a safe way to remove firearms from their homes by surrendering them at any of the city’s 10 district police stations, where firearms can be securely stored for up to one year at no cost.

The new initiative to offer San Franciscans a way to safely store firearms builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to improve public safety, reduce crime, and support San Francisco’s families. The mayor has made public safety his top priority, taking major strides to keep San Francisco safer and cleaner—with overall crime down nearly 30% citywide. The mayor has leveraged new technology through the SFPD Real-Time Investigation Center to improve safety and continue driving down crime, and is working to fully staff the SFPD and Sheriff’s Office through his Rebuilding the Ranks plan.

“Our administration’s top priority is public safety—especially the safety of San Francisco’s children and families. This program represents a simple idea with a powerful goal: To save lives by helping families remove firearms from the home during volatile circumstances,” said Mayor Lurie. “Safe gun storage saves lives, whether it prevents a suicide, an accidental shooting, or the kind of tragedy that Pierce’s family has endured. Thank you to Supervisor Sherrill, Assemblymember Stefani, and Pierce’s mother Lesley for their tireless work to put this life-saving plan into action.”

Pierce’s Pledge was founded by Lesley Hu, a San Francisco resident whose 9-year-old son Pierce was tragically killed by his father during a family law matter. The program aims to prevent similar incidents by providing safe zones for residents to store firearms securely outside their homes.

“We created Pierce’s Pledge to prevent the kind of tragedy our family has endured,” said Lesley Hu, Pierce’s mom and Unwilling Founder of Pierce’s Pledge. “My son Pierce was murdered with a gun by his father, my ex-husband, in his apartment in San Francisco’s Marina district. Pierce was only 9 years old, and I was fighting for custody to keep him safe. Shockingly, what happened to Pierce happens every six days in America. Our partnership with SFPD sends a powerful message: Protecting children during custody disputes is a shared responsibility. The department has given our community a resource to store firearms when a home situation changes—when a loved one is suicidal, a teen is in crisis, or the gun should not be in the home. Responsible gun ownership is knowing when having the gun out of the house is safer than in it. This is a real solution that will save lives.”

“Every parent deserves the chance to raise their child in safety, free from the fear that a moment of conflict could turn into tragedy,” said Supervisor Sherrill. “Thanks to the leadership of Lesley Hu and the partnership of Pierce’s Pledge, families now have a simple and dignified way to remove firearms from volatile situations. This program honors Pierce’s memory and stands as a powerful step toward preventing violence in our city.”

“The San Francisco Police Department is proud to partner with Ms. Lesley Hu and Pierce’s Pledge to launch this meaningful program to save lives,” said Interim SFPD Chief Paul Yep. “Securely stored firearms can prevent tragic incidents like these that happen far too often.”

Prior to the one-year mark, SFPD will contact the owner with steps to reclaim the firearm. If residents do not wish to reclaim the firearms, they are also entitled to sell or transfer the title to a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer, provided that the firearms are legal to own or possess and the person has the right to title the firearm.

“I’m proud to join my friend Lesley Hu and San Francisco leaders in the fight against gun violence to announce a new partnership between Pierce’s Pledge and the SFPD, giving residents a much-needed option for safe firearm storage,” said Assemblymember Catherine Stefani. “This partnership will save lives by providing families a safe way to store firearms during custody disputes—and help prevent a tragedy like Pierce’s from ever happening in our neighborhoods again.”

Pierce’s Pledge is a locally established non-profit that advocates for children during volatile custody disputes by working with lawyers, mediators, custody partners, and judges.