Legislature Ramps Up Newsom’s Gun Gambit

Governor Gavin Newsom wants to add a 28th Constitutional Amendment loaded with gun restrictions. The state legislature has the governor’s back. SJR-7 would “call a constitutional convention under Article V of the Constitution of the United States for the purpose of proposing a constitutional amendment relating to firearms,” but there’s more in the pipeline. 

 AB-28 would “impose an excise tax in the amount of 11 percent of the gross receipts from the retail sale in this state of a firearm, firearm precursor part, and ammunition.” AB-92 “would make it a misdemeanor for a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm under the laws of this state to purchase, own, or possess body armor, as specified.” 

AB-301 “would additionally authorize the court to consider evidence of acquisition of body armor when determining whether grounds for a gun violence restraining order exist.”AB-725 “would amend how a firearm is defined for purposes of these provisions to include the frame or receiver of the weapon, including both a completed frame or receiver, or a firearm precursor part.”

 AB-1089 would “require anybody who uses a three-dimensional printer or CNC milling machine to manufacture a firearm to be a state-licensed manufacturer.” AB-1406 “would authorize the department to request a delay of the delivery of a firearm if additional research is required to determine a person’s eligibility.” 

• AB-1483 “would delete the private party transaction exemption to the 30-day prohibition.” 
• AB-1587 would “require a payment card network to make the merchant category code for firearms and ammunition businesses established by the International Organization for Standardization. 
• SB-2 “would require the licensing authority to issue or renew a license if the applicant is not a disqualified person for the license and the applicant is at least 21 years of age.” The bill would also “remove the good character and good cause requirements from the issuance criteria.”
•  SB-378 “would require a licensed firearms dealer, as specified, to accept for storage a firearm transferred by an individual to prevent it from being accessed or used during periods of crisis or heightened risk to the owner of the firearm or members of their household.”
• SB-452 “would remove from the definition of an unsafe handgun a semiautomatic pistol without a microstamping component,” and “would prohibit a licensed firearms dealer from selling, offering for sale, exchanging, giving, transferring, or delivering a semiautomatic pistol.” And so on, in addition to the highly restrictive gun laws already existing. 

Gov. Newsom cites America’s “gun owning tradition.” Still, the Constitution upholds the “right” of the people to keep and bear arms. See Stephen Halbrook’s The Right to Bear Arms: A Constitutional Right of the People or a Privilege of the Ruling Class?

For what happens when the people with all the power have all the guns, see Halbrook’s Gun Control in the Third Reich: Disarming the Jews and “Enemies of the State” and Gun Control in Nazi-Occupied France: Tyranny and Resistance.