[3] The Legal Community Against Violence was established in the wake of the July 1, 1993 101 California Street shooting, during which a gunman entered the offices of law firm Petit & Martin and shot fourteen people, killing eight.

[4] Former Petit & Martin partners John Heisse and Chuck Erlich formed the nonprofit organization along with other San Francisco Bay Area legal professionals shortly after the shooting to help local communities pass their own gun violence prevention ordinances.

[4][5] Initially focusing on the local regulation of firearms in California, LCAV supported the passage of the Brady Bill and the federal assault weapons ban in 1993.

[5] The organization's volunteer lawyers provided legal consultation to the city of West Hollywood when it was sued by the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) in January 1996 for banning Saturday night special handguns.

In October 2021, GIFFORDS Law Center launched an affiliated program focused on promoting community-based solutions to gun violence in American cities.

[11] In 2024, GIFFORDS Law Center settled a major lawsuit against ghost gun company Polymer80 on behalf of Philadelphia, and undertook similar litigation in other parts of the country.