Wyland’s Law aims to protect children from gun violence: Bill inspired by local boy’s murder

Alexis Espinoza aespinoza@hanfordsentinel.com

April 15, 2025

Catherine Stefani, a California State Assembly member, introduced AB1363 on Tuesday morning. The bill, also known as Wyland's Law, aims to prevent gun violence by ensuring restraining orders are properly transmitted to the Department of Justice. 

The law is named after 10-year-old Wyland Gomes, a Kings County boy who was killed by his father despite a restraining order in 2020. Christy Camara Gomes, Wyland's mother, and Lesley Hu, whose son, Pierce, was also killed in a custody dispute, spoke alongside the Assemblywoman about the need for the law to prevent future tragedies. 

During a press conference on Tuesday morning on the Polk Street steps in front of San Francisco’s City Hall, Stefani, Gomes, and Hu spoke emotionally about the need for the bill.

“The most horrific experience a parent can endure is the loss of a child, and what makes that grief even more devastating is when that loss could have been prevented,” said Stefani. “That's what brings us all here today. We're here because a young boy's life was stolen, not just by one individual's actions, but by a system that failed to do its job.”

Stefani said a court order of protection was failed to be carried out by the Kings County court system to the Department of Justice in early 2020 to protect Wyland Gomes, and because of  this, the 10-year-old boy died at the hands of his father who was able to buy a gun and shoot his son and then himself. 

“Wyland’s Law, named in his memory, is our effort to ensure that no other family suffers this kind of unimaginable loss. It is unthinkable that someone subject to a restraining order could still gain access to a firearm because of a bureaucratic failure,” said Stefani. “Let me be absolutely clear, our laws are only as strong as our systems that enforce them.”

Wyland’s mother approached the microphone to speak about the importance of AB1363 and how it could have protected her son and given her the answers she needed after he was murdered.

“On March 2, 2020, my world shattered. I lost my precious 10-year-old boy in a tragedy no parent should ever have to face, that changed me forever. From that pain, a mission was born, a promise to Wyland and to myself, I would do everything I could to protect other families from going through what we did,” said Camara Gomes. ”For more than three years now, I've been on a painful, determined journey. I fought to expose the cracks in our system, cracks that allowed my estranged husband to buy a gun he never should have. Even though I was grieving and faced legal roadblocks at every turn, I refused to let Wyland’s story be forgotten. Wyland was funny, smart and polite. He had a quiet, kind soul, and he lit up the room every time he walked in. I can still hear his laugh in my mind. I'd give anything to hear it one more time.”

Hu, who lost her 9-year-old son to gun violence during a custody dispute in 2021, echoed Gomes’ sentiments. Hu also made it her mission to raise awareness about the flaws in the system after her son’s death. 

“It is important to understand that what happened to Pierce and what happened to Wyland, happens every six days in America. A child is killed for a custody dispute by a parent every six days in America,” said Hu. “It is the leading cause of death of children in the US — 80% of these children die in their home. So it's important that we start to educate ourselves and to learn how we're going to keep our kids safe.”

AB1363 was proposed to hold courts accountable and provide transparency in the system.  The bill will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on April 22.

Alexis Espinoza is the City Reporter for the Hanford Sentinel. 

Contact her with news tips and story ideas at aespinoza@hanfordsentinel.com.