SACRAMENTO, Oct. 15 (UPI) — In the wake of multiple shootings on college campuses in the last two weeks, California’s second-in-command outlined measures Thursday to further restrict sales of firearms and related products.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined his proposals during a speech in San Francisco on Thursday, which he said will be on the state’s 2016 ballot.
One of the restrictions Newsom detailed is one that mandates background checks for people who buy ammunition. Background checks are already standard for U.S. citizens purchasing guns, but ammunition can be bought by any adult of age, no questions asked.
“We are announcing an effort to address an issue that none of us should have to address,” he said in San Francisco — where he served as the city’s mayor between 2004 and 2011.
In announcing the new measures, Newsom focused on recent gun violence in the United States — particularly focusing on the mass shooting that killed 20 children atSandy Hook Elementary in Massachusetts three years ago.
“Those 20 young children will never experience another birthday. They will never experience the joy of a wedding, or even a graduation or kids of their own,” he said. “We have agency. We have the ability to do something about it.”
Another part of Newsom’s proposal is a ban on the sale of large capacity magazines that hold more than 10 bullets. Under his plan, any California citizen who possesses a large capacity magazine would have to get rid of them.
Newsom’s proposals include multiple provisions that have stalled in the state legislature in recent years.
“If Gavin Newsom wants to declare war on law-abiding gun owners and Second Amendment rights, we’re certainly going to bring the fight to him.” Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs said in response to Newsom’s remarks.
“These provisions will save lives,” Newsom said, adding that he is very confident California voters will approve his measures if they end up on the ballot. To get there, the proposals require nearly 366,000 voter signatures.
“It makes me sick,” Newsom said later in a Facebook post. “An average of 87 Americans are killed by gun violence each and every day. We can’t let more of our neighbors, teachers, students, sons and daughters lose their lives to gun violence.”
“The NRA has repeatedly blocked responsible gun laws, but we will finally win here in California by going straight to voters like you,” he added.
President Barack Obama has already campaigned strongly for more gun control, but the Republican leadership in Congress has made that task a difficult one.
Newsom’s remarks came just two weeks after deadly shootings at Umpqua Community College in Oregon and two others in Texas and Arizona.
