An off-duty Secret Service agent of President Biden was recently robbed at gunpoint in Tustin, California. The robbery occurred while President Joe Biden was on leave from the campaign trail to visit former President Barack Obama.

News stations all clamored to get the word out, touting significant details that might lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.

The agent is said to have then fired his weapon at the attacker in self-defense, but it’s unclear if the suspect was struck. The incident allegedly occurred at just 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night, news outlets said, and the suspect fled the scene in a 2004-2006 silver Infiniti FX35 or similar vehicle.

The incident quickly garnered national headlines since the agent was believed to have sensitive information in his possession. Since the news went public, it reopened a debate about police conduct and the effectiveness of California’s tough gun control laws.

California, with the strictest gun control laws, suffers gun violence on a regular basis. Some of the state’s gun control measures include universal background checks, a red flag law, a wait period on gun purchases, multiple requirements for gun registration, an “assault weapons” ban, and more.

Despite all this, California led all US states in “active shooter incidents” in 2021. 

The situation also brought to light the reality that many other off-duty officers and agents have been attacked by criminals.

With all the attacks happening in the state and the most recent incident, California is said to be rethinking the sturdiness of its gun laws, and to implement more laws to focus on the safety and the wellbeing of the general public.

All these past, current, and future events remind us that the United States has long been battling against gun violence. As the debate continues, as does the search for the suspect.