As if we didn't already know, the California governor, the very liberal Gavin Newsom, is in favor of more gun laws. This time, it's not only for his state, but for the entire nation.
In comments last week on his personal Twitter account, Newsom called for a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would embed gun restrictions. He said his proposals would enact four "widely supported gun safety freedoms" while leaving the Second Amendment intact.
Needless to say, his ideas were called a political gimmick by opponents, who called attention to the fact that while Newsom is not "officially" running for president, in fact, he is. It seems everything he does and says is aimed at gaining national attention. This latest nove is no different.
His latest proposal is to raise the minimum age to purchase any gun to 21; to have universal background checks on all gun transfers, whether involving payments or gifts; establishing a "reasonable" waiting period for buyers to pick up their weapons; and banning the civilian purchase of all assault weapons.
The interesting aspect of this is that most states already have these provisions concerning weapon purchases, and those that don't have all of them have some of them. When I purchased a weapon several years ago in California, all of those items were already law, and still are.
As for the issue of "assault weapons" – the biggest controversy we deal with now is just what that means. There is no specific definition of an "assault weapon."
Rather than having these points be voted into law by Congress or by states individually, Newsom is asking for a Constitutional Convention to deal with the proposal. According to the Constitution, this would mean that 34 states would have to support the Convention for it to be convened.
We have never had an Article V Convention before, and the dangerous part of it is that while it can be called for one issue (in this case, gun regulations), delegates can propose other alterations to the Constitution – and it isn't clear Newsom would be able to control that.
The governor claims that his proposals would have several needed effects, but mainly, it would keep guns out of the hands of young people, increasing gun safety and reducing gun suicides.
Th number of mass shootings in the country has focused attention on the issue of gun ownership and the number of guns owned in the country. Anti-gunners always bring up what they say is the fact that there are more guns in this country than anywhere else on earth and that we have more gun crimes. But, there is much disagreement on how such crimes are dealt with. Are the shooters known, arrested and face adequate incarceration or even capital punishment? If not, why not?
As to the issue of suicide – it is often said that young people use guns to kill themselves, and it occurs frequently. I can understand that people might use a gun for suicide, but if they didn't have that means, they would find another. Heaven knows, there are many ways to take your own life if you are so determined. A new constitutional amendment wouldn't change that.
In an interview on this issue, Larry Gerston, political science professor emeritus at San Jose State University said it would be difficult to get support from states where hunting and gun rights are popular.
He added, "There have been more than 11,000 attempts to amend the Constitution since 1729. Twenty-seven have succeeded, and 10 of those are the Bill of Rights."
Congress banned the sales of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines from 1994 to 2004 – but then the law expired. Ten states, including California, maintain similar bans.
So where are we? This promises to be a battle royale, and there's no doubt it will be political. Do Newsom and Biden agree? How about other candidates? What happens if they don't agree? This question is vital, especially if Gavin Newsom does declare a run for the presidency against Joe Biden.
Ah yes, politics and guns. It is a current issue and promises to be with us – forever!
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