As the list of mass shootings in the U.S. continues to build and both sides of the gun debate spread their messages, some states are considering new legislation to prevent additional shootings.

Lawmakers in California and New Jersey are weighing the possibility of enacting gun-seizure laws in the aftermath of a shooting spree near the University of California, Santa Barbara that left six dead and 13 wounded, according to The Associated Press.

Connecticut and Indiana are the only U.S. states that curently have such laws, which allows authorities to seize weapons after police show evidence that a person is a danger to themselves or others. In Connecticut, a court hearing must be scheduled within 14 days to determine if the guns can be kept from the owner. Connecticut passed its law in 1999, and Indiana passed its law in 2005.

In New Jersey, state Sen. Richard Codey introduced the bill, under which relatives could petition a judge to confiscate guns from a person if they can prove that person is a danger, the Los Angeles Times reported.

California Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, along with other lawmakers, introduced a similar law in California last month.

Some say gun-seizure laws violate constitutional rights, and questions have come up about the effectiveness of those laws, considering one of the most notorious mass shootings in U.S. history happened in Newtown, Connecticut.

Michael Lawlor, Connecticut's undersecretary for criminal justice, told AP that the laws might have prevented the shooting, however, had authorities been made aware of the health problems of the shooter.

"That's the kind of situation where you see the red flags and the warning signs are there, you do something about it," Lawlor said. "In many shootings around the country, after the fact, it's clear that the warning signs were there."

Connecticut police in 2013 filed 183 gun-seizure warrants, more than twice the number filed in 2010, AP reported. The 2013 warrants were almost nine times higher than the average from the first five years of the law.

Gun-rights activists worry that police could abuse the law and infringe on gun owners' rights.

"The government taking things away from people is never a good thing," Rich Burgess, president of the gun rights group Connecticut Carry, told AP. "They come take your stuff and give you 14 days for a hearing. Would anybody else be OK if they just came and took your car and gave you 14 days for a hearing?"

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