California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he has directed state lawmakers to draft a bill cracking down on firearms that adopts language similar to that of Texas' abortion ban, which was upheld by the Supreme Court last week.
The governor said Saturday he has instructed his staff to work with the state legislature and attorney general to draft legislation that would allow private citizens to file lawsuits for at least $10,000 "against anyone who manufactures, distributes, or sells an assault weapon or ghost gun kit or parts in the State of California."
"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 a statement.
But a California law banning the manufacture and sale of specific assault-style weapons, which had been in place, was overturned by a federal judge in June, ruling that it was unconstitutional, according to The Associated Press.
The state, however, is appealing the judge's ruling that likened an AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army Knife, stating that the firearm is "good for both home and battle."
Newsom emphasized in his Saturday statement that he is "outraged" by Friday's Supreme Court decision allowing Texas' abortion law to remain in place, a move he claims endorses Texas' "scheme to insulate its law from the fundamental protections of Roe v. Wade."
"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 said.
Newsom’s announcement was referring to Friday's ruling from the Supreme Court, allowing Texas’s abortion law to remain in effect. The law bans abortions once a heartbeat is detected and allows private citizens to sue doctors, people who pay for a woman's abortion and anyone else believed to be aiding and abetting the procedure.
The Supreme Court noted in its ruling that abortion providers can pursue a federal lawsuit challenging the law.
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