Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a new idea to attack the Second Amendment.
“SCOTUS is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?!” Newsom tweeted. “If that’s the precedent, then we’ll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets. If TX can ban abortion and endanger lives, CA can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives.”
Newsom said he has started the ball rolling for the drafting of legislation allowing citizens to sue anyone who “manufactures, distributes or sells an assault weapon or ghost gun kit or parts” in California, according to The New York Times.
SCOTUS is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?!
If that’s the precedent then we’ll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets.
If TX can ban abortion and endanger lives, CA can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives. https://t.co/N5Iur9PEUZ
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 12, 2021
According the abortion ban passed this year by Texas, citizens can sue for damages of at least $10,000 per violation — a model Newsom is trying to follow.
“If the most efficient way to keep these devastating weapons off our streets is to add the threat of private lawsuits, we should do just that,” Newsom said in the statement.
On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to strike down the Texas “heartbeat bill” that bans abortions after the heartbeat of a baby has been detected.
The law allows private citizens to sue anyone performing an abortion. The court did allow abortion clinics to sue Texas licensing officials over the new law, but otherwise left it intact.
Newsom said, “If states can now shield their laws from review by the federal courts that compare assault weapons to Swiss Army knives, then California will use that authority to protect people’s lives, where Texas used it to put women in harm’s way.”
Newsom was referring to a court ruling earlier this year that wiped away a California law banning so-called assault weapons while likening them to military knives.
Some pushed back on the concept.
Only fallacy with Newsom’s argument is abortion is not mentioned in the constitution, but guns are. In my chump opinion the SCOTUS will not uphold state laws that target rights specifically mentioned in the constitution.
— Phil Carter (@philcarter403) December 12, 2021
Gavin Newsom says he’ll use Texas abortion law as model for gun-control measurehttps://t.co/aWStX2P9C5
Idiot! Guns are a “Constitutional” right. Abortion is not. Good luck Newsome— Jim Harms (@JharmsJim) December 12, 2021
Newsom wants people to be able to sue the manufacturers of guns but not vaccine companies when their products leave people with life long problems or even death. How does this make sense.
— ??.THE ORACLE IS BLACK.?? (@SteveTheOracle) December 12, 2021
Newsom’s proposal drew support from at least one legislator.
“If the Supreme Court acknowledges that these types of laws are constitutional, California should exert every power necessary to protect human life,” Democratic state Assemblyman Marc Levine said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We need to have the premier leader in the state, the governor, leading on these very challenging issues,” he continued.
Khiara M. Bridges, a professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, said given the current makeup of the Supreme Court, the law would fail.
“We have six justices, and it’s looking more like five these days, who like gun rights and don’t like abortion rights,” Bridges said.
“They’re willing to disregard some precedent while venerating other precedent. I have no doubt whatsoever that the Supreme Court will find some bizarre, disingenuous argument to distinguish gun rights from abortion rights.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
