This week KCRA 3 premieres a new documentary entitled “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California.” The topic of guns in America is a hard one – the more we allow ourselves to discuss it the more we realize how complicated it is, and the history in our country surrounding it. There were two incidents in California that had ripple effects across the nation on gun policy. The first was the occupation of the California Capitol by the Black Panthers armed with guns under the open carry policy in the 1960s. The second was the horrific mass shooting at Cleveland Elementary in Stockton, one of the first school shootings in our country, killing five children and injuring 31 others. Simply put, guns are a tool to kill. Whether that is in self-defense, defense of others, or to do harm. Having a gun is fundamentally connected to having power and with that comes a complex history of gun legislation in America. We created this documentary to explore the history of gun legislation in California, but also to share the context of what was happening at that time. This is not an easy topic, and some perspectives are hard to hear. But it shouldn’t be about polarization; it should be about conversation. Talking about this issue is important and touches every community in our country. We hope that by starting this conversation with our own California history we can continue to engage in discussions that lead to better policy and a safer culture around guns, hopefully leading to a reduction in victims of gun violence in our state and our nation. You can watch “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California” Sunday at 9 p.m., learn more on the KCRA 3 news app, and start your own conversation.Ariel Roblin is the president and general manager of KCRA 3 and My58. See more of her editorials here.

This week KCRA 3 premieres a new documentary entitled “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California.”

The topic of guns in America is a hard one – the more we allow ourselves to discuss it the more we realize how complicated it is, and the history in our country surrounding it.

There were two incidents in California that had ripple effects across the nation on gun policy.

The first was the occupation of the California Capitol by the Black Panthers armed with guns under the open carry policy in the 1960s.

The second was the horrific mass shooting at Cleveland Elementary in Stockton, one of the first school shootings in our country, killing five children and injuring 31 others.

Simply put, guns are a tool to kill.

Whether that is in self-defense, defense of others, or to do harm.

Having a gun is fundamentally connected to having power and with that comes a complex history of gun legislation in America.

We created this documentary to explore the history of gun legislation in California, but also to share the context of what was happening at that time.

This is not an easy topic, and some perspectives are hard to hear.

But it shouldn’t be about polarization; it should be about conversation.

Talking about this issue is important and touches every community in our country.

We hope that by starting this conversation with our own California history we can continue to engage in discussions that lead to better policy and a safer culture around guns, hopefully leading to a reduction in victims of gun violence in our state and our nation.

You can watch “Liberty and Limits: Guns in California” Sunday at 9 p.m., learn more on the KCRA 3 news app, and start your own conversation.

Ariel Roblin is the president and general manager of KCRA 3 and My58. See more of her editorials here.