The Governor Gavin NewsomSenate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced that they will fast-track common-sense gun safety laws that will protect people from gun violence following a mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas that left at least 19 children and two adults dead on Tuesday, May 24.
"California will not stand idly by as children across the country are gunned down," said Governor Newsom, who explained at a press conference that guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the United States.
"As the U.S. Senate stands idly by and activist federal judges strike down common sense gun laws across the country, California will act with the urgency this crisis demands. The Second Amendment is not a suicide pact. We will not let another day go by without taking action to save lives," he stressed.
For his part, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins noted that a point has been reached where there is a "very real" fear that every time we say goodbye to our children, spouses and friends, it could be our last.
"These terrible and devastating tragedies must end. Every politician, judge or Supreme Court justice who has chosen to put more guns on our streets should resign today and bow their heads in deep shame. We must do everything in our power to get guns out of our classrooms and supermarkets and away from the people who should never have them," he said.
He added that such actions, he said, include working this week to move quickly on more than a dozen bills to make communities safer.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said, "In the face of repeated tragedies in our state and elsewhere, California remains committed to doing everything possible to stop the violence. As a society, we must do better.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that "there have been more mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022 than there are days in the year".
"In California, we refuse to accept the current standard. We will continue to call on our federal leaders and neighboring states to do more, because our nation's current standard for preventing gun violence is unacceptable. Our children should not suffer this burden. Active shooter drills, metal detectors and schools that look like prisons are not the answer - we need common sense gun safety laws," he added.
An initial package of gun safety bills that the Governor has pledged to sign includes:
- AB 2571 (Bauer-Kahan) ? Restricts advertising of firearms to minors.
- AB 1621 (Gipson): restricts ghost guns and the parts and kits used to build them.
- SB 1327 (Hertzberg) ? Creates a private right of action to limit the spread of illegal assault weapons and ghost guns.
- AB 1594 (Ting): allows governments and victims of gun violence to sue firearms manufacturers and sellers.
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