On Friday, California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom backed legislation “that would let private citizens enforce the state’s ban on assault weapons” reports the New York Post. Newsom and the state’s proposed legislation is more about being against Texas’ abortion law than it is about anything having to do with gun owners or citizens of California.
The bill “will allow private citizens to go after gun makers in the same way Texas lets them target gun makers in the same way Texas lets them target abortion providers” reports the Post. Gun advocates have promised to immediately challenge it if it becomes law.
Newsom specifically has said he hopes the proposal will force the United States Supreme Court’s hand on the Texas abortion law, which banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected in ultrasound, which is generally when the fetus is around 6 weeks.
Newsom said the state’s completely unrelated bill will either expose the Supreme Court’s “hypocrisy” if they block their bill and not the one in Texas, “or it’ll get them to reconsider the absurdity of their previous decision.”
Democratic State Senator Bob Hertzberg said of the legislation, “our message to the United States Supreme Court is as follows: What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Hertzberg, who is the author of the bill said, “I look forward to rushing a new bill to the governor’s desk to take advantage of that United States Supreme Court guidance.”
“There is no principled way the U.S. Supreme Court cannot uphold this California law. None. Period full stop. It is quite literally modeled after the law they just upheld in Texas” said Newsom.
The New York Post reports:
Texas’ new abortion law is unique in that it bars the government from enforcing the law. The idea is if the government can’t enforce the law, it can’t be sued to block it in court. That hasn’t stopped abortion providers from trying to block the law. But so far, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority has allowed the abortion law to stay in place pending a legal challenge.