By David A. Lombardo, Opinion Contributor
California’s Governor Gavin Newsome, D, once again thumbs his nose at the U.S. Supreme Court over the Second Amendment. Newsome panders to the anti-Second Amendment, radical Democrat contingent hanging his presidential aspiration’s hat on banning guns.
The premise is if he can successfully ban firearms in California it will result in an anti-Second Amendment tidal wave sweeping the country with Newsome riding it on a surfboard to the presidency.
Gnarly Dude, get a life.
The truth is the more SCOTUS weighs in on the Second Amendment being an inviolate right of the people to keep and bear arms, the farther Newsome charges into the intellectual weeds.
Newsome desperately wants credibility and to be seen as the candidate who has a clear vision of how to stop gun violence in the U.S.
Unfortunately for Newsome, he appears to have political glaucoma.
California, long considered a Second Amendment bellwether state by the anti- crowd, has consistently put out disinformation about gun control and its effect on crime.
Last Tuesday, Newsome inked a raft of anti-gun laws he claims will reduce gun violence in California. One of the center pieces is AB 28, an 11 percent excise tax on guns and ammunition with the proceeds earmarked for gun safety programs.
The state firearms tax will be in addition to the federal excise tax of 10 percent on wholesale prices for handguns and 11 percent for long guns and ammunition.
Also voted in was SB 452 requiring microstamping of cartridge casings, and establishment of “sensitive places” where guns are forbidden in SB 2, among other restrictions.
You can count on Illinois’ Governor J.B. Pritzker salivating over potentially new laws he can enact in Illinois.
Fortunately, Newsome’s preoccupation with gun control laws has been lawfully curtailed most recently by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez.
Benitez recently struck down a California law banning gun magazines of more than 10 rounds. “There have been, and there will be, times where many more than 10 rounds are needed to stop attackers,” Benitez wrote. “Yet, under this statute, the State says, ‘too bad.’”
During a press conference on Tuesday, Newsom justified his spate of anti-gun legislation by saying, “California’s gun death rate is 43 percent lower than the rest of the nation” and the new laws “will make our communities and families safer.”
He went on saying, “it’s a pretty modest investment in prevention. The carnage, it’s too much. We can’t normalize it and we can’t accept it. This is a small price to pay.”
It would be impressive but for one small detail.
The statistics for 2022 have not yet been released but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California’s “Firearm Mortality by State” statistics show a steady increase in the state’s mortality rate.
In 2019 it was 7.2 deaths by gunfire per 100,000, in 2020 it was 8.5 and 9.0 in 2021.
It is clear that the more you disarm John Q. Public, the higher the violent crime rate will climb.
It gives pause for the thoughtful person to ponder exactly what the hell is Newsome’s end game?
