The latest effort to disarm citizens while protecting the rights of the government to have weapons of war to use against the population of California saw a total of 23 bills signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 26. The new laws will severely restrict the average Californian’s ability to purchase and use firearms lawfully. The bills create a likely scenario in which thousands of previously lawful owners will now be criminals.
This is 100% unconstitutional. They can push back all they want but SCOTUS has the last word. https://t.co/Fb9ZnIdgJm
— Jojo 2~PISSED OFF PATRIOT 🐢🍊🇺🇸 (@Jothedeplorable) September 26, 2023
The laws aim to reduce gun violence and prevent deaths by further restricting the Constitutional rights of Californians as the government claims the death toll to children is simply too high to allow for individuals to have rights. The new laws further restrict concealed carry for law-abiding individuals, give the government new police powers to remove firearms from private citizens, prevent citizens from owning body armor, and add the nation’s first tax specifically on guns and ammunition. That law is anticipated to raise as much as $160 million to be used to indoctrinate kids to not want to own firearms.
Most of the laws exclude law enforcement officers in a clear sign that California is determined to establish the most brutal kind of police state in which its residents must fear the police more than criminals. Most of the laws will make it prohibitively expensive for most people to purchase firearms or ammunition. One bill, in particular, will require ammunition manufacturers to micro-stamp serial numbers on handgun ammunition, a move almost certainly to cause a significant price jump at a time when ammunition is already difficult to find in the state.
Just one of the 23 laws was authored by a Republican, Rep. Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield). That bill will require that the mandatory safety and instructional materials required to be given to gun purchasers also be available in non-English formats.
A number of the laws are unlikely to pass Constitutional muster, a fact that Newsom admitted even as he signed the laws. A recent Supreme Court decision overturned the state’s 10-round magazine limit leading Newsom to deride the Federal judge who issued the ruling.
The batch of laws will have a chilling effect on legal gun purchases and adds criminal penalties to those who violate the rules. Ultimately, only time will tell if the new laws have any effect on violent crime which is typically carried out using stolen or illegal guns in the first place. California already has the nations strictest gun laws and is ranked 43rd of the 50 states for low rates of gun violence.
The massive gun law package comes at a time when consumers are reeling from the nations highest gas prices, surging fentanyl deaths in communities, and a housing market that is practically inaccessible for all but the wealthiest individuals. Homelessness continues to rise at alarming rates, while many brick-and-mortar stores are closing up shop because of rampant retail theft. None of the new gun laws will have any effect on these serious problems, but the signing adds a feather to Newsom’s cap as he manuevers toward a potential presidential run in 2024.
