Following gunman Gian Luigi Ferri's rampage through the San Francisco law offices of Pettit & Martin, in which the disgruntled former client killed eight people and wounded six before killing himself, California Bar Association president Harvey Saferstein called for an end to lawyer jokes. "There's a point at which jokes and humor are acceptable and a point at which they become nothing more than hate speech." Although Saferstein conceded that no direct link between lawyer jokes and violence towards lawyers has ever been established, he said jokes "could have an effect upon a fringe case" such as Ferri. Saferstein vowed that the Bar Association will fight antilawyer sentiment, and he called on California Governor Pete Wilson to pass legislation giving lawyers the same protection afforded to minorities. He compared lawyer jokes to racist humor, saying both target a specific class of people.

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