Home
Events
DV Custody Firearm Fatalities

Domestic Violence, Child Custody Litigation, and Firearm Fatality Prevention

Policy and Practical Insights from Courageous Moms, National Experts, and Leading Legislators

December 13, 2023
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
UCI Newkirk Alumni Center

About the Event

This full-day convening will focus on firearm fatality prevention in the context of domestic violence and child custody litigation. Courageous mothers will share their insights on critical actions that could have saved their children’s lives. Lesley Hu (with Cody Dougherty) will explain “Pierce’s Pledge,” for family law attorneys to have clients commit to safe off-site storage of firearms during family law proceedings. Participants will be moved to action by Christy Camara, author of Can I Still Be Funny After My Son's Murder? Memories and Grief With a Splash of Sarcasm — My Life Before and After Wyland’s Tragic Death. Senator Dave Min will discuss California’s legislative leadership to reduce firearm fatalities and domestic violence. National expert Julia Weber will address law, policy, and practical steps to make a difference, and Prof. Jake Charles will analyze the U.S. v. Rahimi case in which the U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether it violates the Second Amendment to prohibit people with Domestic Violence Restraining Orders against them from having guns. The convening also features Professor Jane Stoever reporting on the Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team’s study of the past decade of fatalities, with lessons for our county and beyond, and Teri Thomas and local agencies sharing innovative measures for domestic violence and firearm fatality prevention. Together, participants can commit to life-saving actions and policies.

This event is approved for 4.0 hours of Minimum Continuing Legal Education Credit by the State Bar of California. The University of California, Irvine School of Law is a State Bar-approved MCLE provider.

To request reasonable accommodations for a disability, please email: centers@law.uci.edu.

Speakers Include

headshot

Author
Can I Still Be Funny After My Son's Murder?

On March 2, 2020, Christy’s sweet 10-year-old Wyland was shot and killed by his father. After her son's tragic death, she had two choices: She could crawl into the corner and spend each day there, slowly dying. Or she could choose to make Wyland's life legacy.

In May, her book Can I Still Be Funny After My Son’s Murder? was published. She wants to share her story hoping to bring awareness to those struggling in similar situations. Hopefully, in writing this book, it will reach other parents before another tragedy unfolds, taking an innocent child. The decision to expose the heart-wrenching details of her life was difficult to make, but if just one child can be saved it will be worth it. No parent should go through the daily pain of losing a child.

She is passionate about helping others and hopes a law in her son's honor will do just that. At this time, Christy and her team are unsure what Wyland's Law will entail, but are confident to make strides to see a change in protecting children from filicide.

Associate Professor of Law
Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law

Professor Jake Charles is a constitutional law scholar focusing on the Second Amendment and firearms law. He joined Pepperdine Caruso Law after serving as the inaugural executive director of the Center for Firearms Law at Duke University School of Law, where he remains an affiliated scholar. He also serves as the Chair of the Section on Firearms Law of the American Association of Law Schools and an affiliate scholar of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Professor Charles writes and teaches on the Second Amendment, and his primary research interests include the legal regulation of state and private violence, Second Amendment doctrine and theory, and the place of guns in the criminal legal system. He is the co-author of a forthcoming Foundation Press casebook on the Second Amendment and co-editor of an Oxford University Press collection of historical essays on gun laws. His scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in the Columbia Law Review, Michigan Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Virginia Law Review, and Duke Law Journal, among others.

headshot

Team Lead, Gun Storage
Pierce’s Pledge

Cody Dougherty is a lifelong friend of Lesley and a dedicated force within Pierce's Pledge focusing on firearms storage. Cody has called San Francisco home for decades, building her life in the heart of the city. She holds a degree in psychology from San Francisco State University, which has provided her with a deep understanding of human behavior and the complexities of our society. Cody and her husband run a successful construction business, reflecting her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to hard work. Together, they share the joys and responsibilities of raising a teenage son. In June of 2023, Cody took a pivotal step for Pierce's Pledge by obtaining her Federal Firearms License (FFL). This achievement empowers her to actively address the critical need for responsible firearm storage, not only within our organization but on a broader scale. Cody's primary focus revolves around in-depth research into firearm storage regulations, both in California and across the United States. Her tireless dedication to understanding the intricate rules and regulations is instrumental in driving our mission forward. With Cody's unwavering commitment and her newfound expertise in firearm storage, we are forging ahead in our efforts to create safer homes and communities. Her journey is a testament to the profound impact individuals can make when they combine passion with action.

headshot

Founder
Pierce’s Pledge

Lesley is Pierce's heartbroken mother and the unwilling founder of Pierce's Pledge. She has the privilege of laughing and playing with Pierce through all his years he was able to be on this earth. She started Pierce's Pledge so she can continue to write Pierce's name everyday with a clear purpose and drive behind that action: building an incredible legacy for an incredible kid.

Her mission and passion is to push the message to keep kids safe through risk management and voluntary separation with weapons during contentious times. She encourages parents to think about custody from the child’s point of view as well as the parent.

headshot

CA State Senator
37the State Senate District

Senator Dave Min was elected in 2020 to represent Orange County’s 37th State Senate District. In the Senate, Senator Min is focused on gun violence prevention, climate action, economic development and innovation, and investing in public education. He serves as Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, which has jurisdiction over the state’s environmental stewardship, including protection of California’s public lands and coastline, oil and gas regulation, and preserving biodiversity.

Before joining the State Senate, Senator Min was a law professor at UC Irvine, where he taught and researched in the area of business law. He is one of the country’s leading experts on banking and housing policy, and has testified six times before Congress on these issues.

headshot

Clinical Professor of Law
Director, Domestic Violence Clinic
Director, UCI Initiative to End Family Violence
University of California, Irvine School of Law
Co-chair, Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team

Jane Stoever is a professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, where she teaches Family Law and Legal Ethics and directs the UCI Law Domestic Violence Clinic, which represents abuse survivors in civil, criminal, immigration, and policy interventions in abuse. She also directs the interdisciplinary UCI Initiative to End Family Violence and co-chairs the Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team. Her research concerns legal and societal responses to domestic violence, firearm fatalities, and technology-enabled abuse and includes the book The Politicization of Safety. She has advised the Obama and Biden administrations on domestic violence policy and has received national recognition for her work. Professor Stoever previously taught at Georgetown University Law Center, American University Washington College of Law, and Seattle University School of Law; served as a judicial clerk; and worked at legal aid offices and homeless shelters. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

headshot

Principal Operations Analyst, Domestic Violence Firearm Relinquishment Program
Orange County Superior Court

Teri Thomas is a Principal Operations Analyst for the Orange County Superior Court where she is currently working on a domestic violence gun relinquishment grant with Anaheim Police Department. Prior to the grant, Teri worked for 16 years as an Orange County Court Manager in the Criminal and Traffic department, and for the last 10 of those years as the Family Law Unit Manager overseeing court operations for dissolutions, parentage, child support and domestic violence cases in the county. She has over 30 years of experience in public service, including more than two decades with Orange County law enforcement as a Crime Prevention Specialist and 911 operator. Teri has a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Long Beach and is a Certified Court Manager from the National Center for State Courts.

headshot

Esq., MSW, Consultant

Julia has spent her career developing innovative approaches to solving complex issues facing families, children, and communities. She consults, serves as an expert witness, and regularly speaks on domestic violence, firearms violence prevention policies, child custody, and implementation of promising practices around gun violence prevention and family law. In addition to consulting with a variety of state and national violence prevention organizations, this year she participated in several amici briefs for the recent US Supreme Court case, U.S. vs. Rahimi, and has written and provided information to the media about the case and related issues. Julia has also collaborated on drafting and advocating for several key California legislative efforts including SB 320 (Eggman) on firearms relinquishment in domestic violence cases, AB 818 (Petrie-Norris) on serving restraining orders, and SB 599 (Caballero) addressing the intersection of child custody, domestic violence, and guns. Julia has previously served as the director of the National Center on Gun Violence in Relationships; immediately prior to that, she spent four years with Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence where she became the first Implementation Director. From 1999-2017, Julia worked with the Judicial Council of California staffing family law, domestic violence, and access to justice projects and developing rules of court, providing judicial and court staff training, and drafting key court procedures. Julia has been an adjunct professor teaching domestic violence law at Golden Gate University School of Law for the last seven years; she previously taught courses on race, gender, and law at Washington University in St. Louis. She is a mediator and member of the California Bar.

Schedule

With UCI Law Dean Austen Parrish and IEFV Director Jane Stoever

Professor Jane Stoever, co-chair of the Orange County Domestic Violence Death Review Team, will discuss the multidisciplinary team’s recent report analyzing over a decade of domestic violence fatalities and trends in Orange County. Firearms were used in over 70% of the fatalities; half of cases involved a known history of domestic violence; and in one-third of cases, the homicide followed a recent divorce, separation, affair, or child custody dispute. Professor Stoever will discuss implications for improved county and community responses, including family courts as an important site for firearm fatality prevention.

Through a conversation shaped by two courageous mothers who unwillingly find themselves working to prevent future tragedies, participants will learn about current efforts to change how professionals, policymakers, and communities prevent firearms violence. Lesley Hu, whose son Pierce was tragically killed by his father in 2021, will share her work and vision around Pierce's Pledge, the organization she founded to work with family law attorneys to support clients storing firearms off site during litigation. Christy Camera, Wyland's mom and author of Can I Still Be Funny After My Son's Murder? will discuss her book and navigating changes in policy and practice after her son's death. Cody Dougherty, who pursued obtaining her federal firearms license for the purpose of storing firearms when Pierce's Pledge found there were limited options, will discuss her journey and perspective of key aspects of firearm storage policy and practice. Julia F. Weber, Esq., MSW, a consultant with Pierce's Pledge, will moderate the discussion.

Signing of Can I Still Be Funny After My Son's Murder? by author Christy Camara.

Professor Jake Charles will discuss U.S. v. Rahimi, a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court addressing the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting the possession of firearms by individuals subject to Domestic Violence Restraining Orders.

In this session hosted by Julia F. Weber, participants will learn about recent state policy developments in California addressing the intersection of firearms, domestic violence, and child custody matters. These significant policy changes reflect model legislation California lawmakers are acting on while the U.S. Supreme Court considers the 5th circuit decision in U.S. vs. Rahimi, finding the federal prohibition against having firearms when a civil domestic violence is in place unconstitutional. Julia will cover the case, its implications for California and domestic violence survivors, and provide practical steps professionals and community members can take to help reduce firearms violence and increase safety in our families and communities.

Teri Thomas will describe the Domestic Violence Firearm Relinquishment Program she is overseeing for Orange County. The Budget Act of 2022 provided $40 million to the Judicial Council to provide courts with one-time funding to support firearm relinquishment efforts statewide. Superior Courts were invited to apply for the grant funding in partnership with at least one law enforcement agency, and Orange County Courts have partnered with the Anaheim Police Department, having just signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 11/28/2023. Early stages of the project will focus on family law domestic violence cases, with activities including, but not limited to, developing a standardized protocol for gun relinquishment hearings and processes; education for court staff, police agencies, and the public; and data collection and reporting.