Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif) signed a controversial strict gun control bill, leaving firearm groups to call the law “vindictive.”
The new law is modeled after Texas’ recent anti-abortion law which allows private citizens to sue those who make, sell, transport or distribute certain illegal firearms.
Gun activists are sounding the alarm on California’s new firearm law, saying it is a clear infringement on the American people’s Second Amendment right.
Sam Paredes, the executive director of Gun Owners of California, said that his lawyers are working on coming up with a plan on how to fight against the liberal governor’s new law.
“There’s a full expectation that the firearms industry will have a very strong reaction towards the signing of this bill," Paredes said, adding “they are really, really trying to be nothing but vindictive against lawful people in the firearms industry. All of our attorneys are in the process of evaluating what we are going to do on this thing.”
Paredes also believes it is obvious that Newsom’s gun law is retaliation against gun owners and the court because of Texas’ abortion law.
A legislative analyst warned that duplicating a private-enforcement strategy bill, much like Texas, “may be flawed and dangerous,” noting that California already “tightly controls, regulates, and criminalizes activities related to restricted firearms.”
Newsom also acknowledged that the measure would likely receive court challenges.
"We believe this will be litigated in the Supreme Court, and we believe the Supreme Court will be challenged. Because if there's any principle left whatsoever — and that's an open-ended question — with this Supreme Court, there is no way they can deny us the right to move in this direction,” Newsom said.