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California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a gun control bill that will allow private citizens to sue anyone who makes, sells, transports or distributes illegal “assault weapons and ghost guns” .
The measure was drafted in response to last year’s Texas abortion ban that bans the procedure once a heartbeat is detected and allows private citizens to sue doctors, drivers or anyone else who helps a woman to abort for $10,000.
California’s gun law would award $10,000 in gun damages to private citizens who sue. The same amount could also be awarded to citizens if they file a lawsuit against someone who illegally sells firearms to under-21s.
The bill was introduced after Newsom directed state lawmakers in December to draft a gun control measure inspired by Texas’ abortion law, SB 8. The governor called for the legislation just days after the Supreme Court ruled that the Texas heartbeat law could remain in effect after a legal challenge.
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California’s gun law would award $10,000 in gun damages to citizens who petition. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Our message to criminals spreading illegal guns in California is simple: You have no safe harbor here in the Golden State,” Newsom said in a press release Friday. “As the Supreme Court strikes down reasonable gun safety measures, California continues to add new ways to protect the lives of our children. California will use every tool at its disposal to save lives, especially before a Supreme Court every even more extreme.”
The bill was signed into law at Santa Monica College, the site of a 2013 shooting in which the gunman killed five people with an unserialized AR-15 rifle that had been built from legally purchased parts. The gun would have been restricted under the new law.
The law is expected to spark lawsuits.
“It is obvious that this is retaliation against legal gun owners and the court because of the Texas decision. There is a full expectation that the firearms industry will have a very strong reaction to the signing of ‘this bill,” Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, according to the Los Angeles Times. “They’re really, really trying to be more than vindictive against lawful people in the firearms industry. All of our lawyers are in the process of evaluating what we’re going to do with this thing.”
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The bill was signed into law at Santa Monica College, the site of a 2013 shooting in which the gunman killed five people with an unserialized AR-15 rifle that had been built from legally purchased parts. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Newsom had signed a number of other gun control bills Thursday aimed at tackling gun violence. The measures include a 10-year ban on firearms for those convicted of child or elder abuse, a reduction in the number of guns someone can manufacture without a license and a requirement that the state Department of Justice inspect arms dealers at least every three. years from 2024.
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Newsom had signed a number of other gun control measures Thursday aimed at gun violence. (AP Images)
“While some politicians put up roadblocks or say nothing can be done, here in California we are proving once again that we can take on the gun lobby and protect our communities,” said state Attorney General Rob Bonta in Friday’s statement.
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“With these new laws, California is protecting life, safety and liberty.” it continued. “We have the strongest gun safety laws in the country and one of the lowest firearm death rates. That’s no coincidence. More guns don’t make us safer, laws like these do. Period.”
Newsom has also taken out an ad in several Texas newspapers criticizing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his stance on guns and abortion, the latest ad to run in a Republican state, suggesting he may be eyeing a House run White. He recently aired an ad in Florida urging its residents to leave for California, claiming that freedom is “under attack” in the Sunshine State.