Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for constitutional amendment to curb gun access

[SpankMe]

Source: NBCNews.com

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would restrict gun ownership, a response to what the governor described as an "existential crisis" of mass shootings in America.

The California Democrat wants to raise the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21, mandate universal background checks, impose a waiting period on buyers and ban the civilian purchase of assault weapons.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gavin-newsom-calls-constitutional-amendment-curb-gun-access-rcna57951

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This is gutsy. I support this.

For those who say "It'll never happen. It's a waste of time. It's too hard and improbable..." I point you to Roe vs. Wade. People thought that was forever, but conservatives worked patiently for 50 years and got it overturned.

If it takes 50 years to get a 28th amendment, or the 2nd repealed, we should do it. The earlier we start, the earlier it'll happen.

This country is such a far outlier in gun violence statistics - even when compared to countries with civil war and civil unrest - that we have to do something. Anything.

[Faux pas]

1. Kickin'

[MayReasonRule]

2. That's Correct Y'all Time Takes Time - If You Never Begin It Never Happens

[brooklynite]

5. Making a speech doesn't start anything.

[revmclaren]

11. Kennedy made a little speech about going to the moon....

Guess it never happened because making a speech doesn't start anything.

[brooklynite]

18. Kennedy then used hi executive authority to implement a space policy...

What is Newsom doing?

[revmclaren]

22. You obviously don't live in California.

When Governor Newsom makes a speech, he follows through with the agenda. I haven't seen anyone else make this important statement and it only takes one pebble rolling down a hill to start a landslide.

The momentum will pick up and I'm sure he will talk to Biden who does have executive authority to begin the process.

It will take time but people are getting angry and frustrated. I hope I live to see the change.

[brooklynite]

28. The Governor of California doesn't have a role in Constitutional Amendments...

...last time I checked.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

19. And MLK made a little speech about a dream...

[ananda]

21. Really? It certainly does.

You have to start somewhere... and a good
idea is a good start.

[The Jungle 1]

24. Yea we should just keep doing nothing.

[MayReasonRule]

32. Persuasive Speech Is A Seed - In This Case It's A Seed Of Reason

May reason rule across our troubled land!

[Mysterian]

55. Precisely!

Gotta start somewhere. Throwing up your hands and screeching, "it can't be done," is certain to accomplish nothing.

[tonekat]

3. I support it

Something must be done.

[brooklynite]

4. Let me know when 3/5 of the States will pass that.

[ColinC]

7. If everybody who cares about this stays despondent, the time will be never

Getting the ball rolling is an incredible first step

[MayReasonRule]

33. That's Right, Persuasive Speech Is A Core Component Of Any Second Order Societal Change

[ColinC]

34. 1,000%

There has been virtually no argument against rolling back the second amendment out of fear of political loss. I’m pretty sure a lot more has been lost than won as a result.

[brooklynite]

37. You're saying nobody has previously called for a CA to address gun control?

[ColinC]

48. I'm just saying there hasn't been any traction for the obvious constitutional discussion

…which is the primary hinderance towards common sense gun reform. It still might not happen, but with a major figure like Newsom speaking out, that could change.

[brooklynite]

38. Nothing despondent about reality...

[ShazzieB]

35. ...

[ColinC]

6. Honestly thank God somebody finally has the guts to say it

[onetexan]

9. Agree. Gov Newsom's got gutz. Can't believe he was once married to that cray cray woman now w Don Jr

[republianmushroom]

8. Good luck with that. Dead on arrival.

12 have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment yet.
And this started in 1972,
Nev ratified it in 2017. 45 years after it was purposed. Guns don't think so.


Amendment to guns, Newson is dreaming.

[revmclaren]

23. All important works start with a dream.

And people are getting tired of the gun culture nightmare.

[NBachers]

31. Please post your own detailed solution

[CTyankee]

10. I think the gun lobby in this country is getting fewer and fewer members OR supporters...

It is simply duplicitous to argue the 2nd amendment which was written in a time of muskets. It would be laughable if it weren't so tragically wrong.

[WalkerinSC]

16. That's an argument you need to be careful making.

The musket and muzzle loading rifle was the standard infantry weapon of the day. One could argue that the 2nd Amendment was written that a citizen had a right to the same arms available to the military. It's a slippery slope. I don't have any problems with background checks, minimum ages (I couldn't buy a handgun until 21, wasn't a big deal), or even a short waiting period. I would go as far to require training certs to buy or possess particular types of rifles (bolt action, single shot, semi auto) and shotguns (breech, pump, semi auto) like required in SC to obtain a hunting license. The sticky point is the "assault weapon". How will that be classified? Attachments? Military heritage (which would be all guns)? Removable magazine? I have a Ruger Mini 14. Is it an assault rifle. It is used by police in some countries and can use 5.54 or .223? Mine is chambered for .44 Magnum but it is still the same rifle in looks and operation. Will this grandfather in existing ownership or will the government be buying them from individuals?

Like I said, most are reasonable but will be a hard sell in most areas. You never know until you try though.

[CTyankee]

20. Well, yes, if you assume that the Supremes who favor gun control haven't already learned what you

cite here. If they haven't, shame on them. But let's not assume anything. They have clerks who do this kind of research all the time. It's what they do. They learn what you have learned. You and they live on the same planet and have the Internet and can call in those with military and law enforcement agency backgrounds and know what you cite here.

The only question is will they do it.

[CaptainTruth]

36. If only we could be scientific about it.

Guns do damage by delivering kinetic energy to a target. Each round delivers a measurable amount of energy, more or less depending on the round.

Instead of worrying about how to define "assault rifle" why can't we set a maximum rate of energy delivery that applies to all weapons?

For example, an AR-15 that's limited to firing 1 round per second might be OK because it's under the maximum rate of kinetic energy delivery, but one that can fire 10-15 rounds per second in not OK because it delivers too much energy too quickly.

Develop a measurable verifiable science-based standard & apply it to all weapons.

You want a shoulder fired anti-tank missile? Sorry, it delivers to much energy too quickly.

You want a grenade launcher? Sorry, it delivers to much energy too quickly.

You want a 155mm howitzer? Sorry, it delivers to much energy too quickly.

You want a fully automatic machine gun? Sorry, it delivers to much energy too quickly.

We could do this, it's not hard to develop a standard & define test & measurement methods, we do much more complex things every day in America, all it would take is the political will.

[CTyankee]

42. I understand your argument and it makes sense. However, not all of our gun problems in society are

due to the weapons you describe.

My niece died from a single shot fired by a family member with a handgun he owned for "self defense."
He was up to that point a law abiding citizen. He kept a handgun loaded and in a nightstand drawer, for "protection" should a thief break in some night while he was asleep. On the day of my niece's murder he was upset because his wife was dying and did not have him in her will and he was drunk. It was a perfect storm: access, anger and alcohol.

As a result, my brother, already alcohol prone virtually drank himself to death. The victim's sister, overcome by guilt for not going with her that night to help her grandparents, changed her life plans and went into the ministry. Her mother, who was also shot, recovered from her wounds.

This happened in Texas.

[Warpy]

43. I want to see semi auto guns go

because they just make it too easy.

I know you've carefully selected and maintained your own collection, but your hobby is just costing this country too much.

Guns that are designed for hunting people really need to go and should never have gotten into civilian hands in the first place.

It will likely take years to accomplish this. Too many people love the feeling of power firing these things gives them. It will also require cooperation among government agencies, gun manufacturers, ammo manufacturers, and whatever the NRA becomes without Russian money and influence.

Please note that I am not totally anti gun. I live in bear and cougar country, and people outside the city need guns to scare them out of the trash and kill the one in a million having a bad enough day that it charges.

[Fritz Walter]

29. The NRA, as usual, is at "battle stations" with this announcement

By now, they have launched umpteen-thousand email/direct-mail "emergency" appeals for funds citing this threat to (their perception of) civilization as we know it! And where would those funds go? Straight into the PACs and campaign funds of the "you'll have to pry (a gun) from my cold lifeless hands" politicians. At all level of government.

So, my idea is this: if the US Government can revoke the tax-exempt status of the PGA (as it merges with the Saudi's "LIV Golf" ), should the feds not also consider revoking the tax-exempt status of the NRA?
According to Wikipedia,

A 501(c)(4) organization is a social welfare organization, such as a civic organization or a neighborhood association. An organization is considered by the IRS to be operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting the common good and general welfare of the people of the community. Net earnings must be exclusively used for charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.[38]

According to The Washington Post, 501(c)(4) organizations:

...are allowed to participate in politics, so long as politics do not become their primary focus. What that means in practice is that they must spend less than 50 percent of their money on politics. So long as they don't run afoul of that threshold, the groups can influence elections, which they typically do through advertising.

Clearly, with the number of mass shootings recently, "promoting the common good and general welfare of the people of the 'community' " is not happening here. They are a political and commercial (gun manufacturers, dealers) welfare organization.

Tax 'em!

[forgotmylogin]

40. The MAGA gun humpers on Twitter are all just replying "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!"

But that's how you change an amendment - with another amendment. That's how women got the right to vote, alcohol was banned then reinstated, slavery was abolished, the Electoral College set up.

Repubs are no strangers to the idea of repealing or adjusting other amendments...

Amendment 14:

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

[sanatanadharma]

12. Make gun control a "Pro-Life" issue

Properly framed the out-of-control no-controls people will have to be anti-life.
I don't think this 28th amendment will be a fifty year project.

[LiberalFighter]

13. I support this AND

federal law prohibiting gun manufacturers from selling assault weapons to civilians or on the civilian market.

[The Grand Illuminist]

14. It is going to take Article V remedies.

Elect pro convention state house candidates.

[TeamProg]

15. Works for me! nt

[TeamProg]

17. Endorse / Add Your Name: Support a 28th Amendment to the Constitution on Guns:

https://act.gavinnewsom.com/signup/em-28th-amendment/?source=em230608-1-2m-full&refcode2=1420.4937681.Gcml7F&akid=1420%2E4937681%2EGcml7F


And of course they're taking donations..

[The Jungle 1]

25. So what is the plan from the right?

Same as their healthcare plan. Repukes don't give a rats ass.

[William Seger]

26. That's the ONLY way out of this nightmare

We will never have effective gun control as long as the 2nd Amendment is interpreted to mean guns can't be controlled.

[cstanleytech]

27. A Constitutional amendment is really the only way to resolve the issue ss

gun laws can be tossed out of Court.

[wnylib]

30. Has to begin at local levels in order to get people into

state legislatures who will support it.

We should be doing much more at local levels anyway. School boards, city councils, state assembly members and state senators. Move them up the ranks. Obama was once a state senator for Illinois.

[FBaggins]

39. It'll never happen. It's a waste of time. To those who say "I point you to Roe vs. Wade"...

... I say you obviously don't understand the amendment process.


It's one thing to say "wait 50 years for a new court to overturn a previous court ruling"

It's entirely different to say "get a 2/3 majority in both houses (when we aren't close to majority support for such an amendment in either chamber) and then get 38 states to agree"

The first is just a matter of time because the country is with us on the issue. The second won't happen in the next century because they aren't.

[MayReasonRule]

41. Can't Never Could - Second Order Change Is An Incremental Journey That Begins With The First Step

Our "freedoms" only exist in application.

If we of reason desist, delusion will continue to rule, making life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness little more than boilerplate aspirations scribbled across a page.

Here's to our success sooner rather than later!!

[JohnSJ]

46. and a Constitutional Convention declaration is equally difficult. Realistically, very unlikely to

happen

[J_William_Ryan]

44. Amend the Constitution to repeal the Second Amendment.

Such an amendment might garner more support – and its intent would be crystal clear.

[JohnSJ]

45. Do they have the votes in Congress or through the states now? Unlikely. Unless the 2024

election changes the dynamics, it won’t happen for a while if ever.

I don’t think the 2/3 requirement are there in Congress or in enough state legislatures


https://ged.com/practice-test/en/acs/social-studies/page_2.html

[Polybius]

47. Yeah, not 2024

More like 2074. We'll never have a 2/rds majority imo. Nor will they.

[Stuart G]

49. About ...."Stuff that ...Never Happens

Back in the 50s and 60s when I was young and a child and a teenager... ..I THOUGHT THESE WOULD NEVER HAPPEN:

1. I would own a computer.....(at that time it was a dream,,(only in Science Fiction)

2. I would be alive to see an Afro-American become President of the U.S.A. .....Not only was I alive, I voted for the individual twice.

3. I would travel across the U.S.A. Yes, I have done that too. (haven't been to Alaska or Hawaii yet)

4. Have Color TV.........That one is too old to talk about..

5. Invest in the N Y Sock Market...Yes, got that too.

6. Graduate from College...Did that too

7. Get Married, also Got Divorced

8. Collect Too Much Stuff...Would you like some old ..."Lesson Plans" from the 80s and 90s.

[ificandream]

50. Glad to see someone taking the anchor in hand to do something about this.

You know if it wasn't for Biden, he'd probably be the Democratic front runner.

[Demsrule86]

52. There is nothing a governor can do. I appreciate the sentiment but one could just as easily

wish for a unicorn given the present circumstances. There is a chance a different SCOTUS could change what constitutes a militia and that could open the door for serious gun control.

[Demsrule86]

51. You need what 66 senatorial votes. How can that happen?

[The Grand Illuminist]

53. Electing pro Article V convention candidates

and have the convention can bypass all that.

[Demsrule86]

54. You still have to have a vote at the end...and a convention requires a certain number of states.

It won't work.

[Angleae]

57. And after the convention has proposed it to the states, you're going to get 38 to ratify it ... how?

That's right, all the convention can do is propose amendments, they can't actually amend the constitution by themselves.

[mahina]

56. Mass shooting in Italian is "mass shooting". When it's kids killed, it's "mass shooting bambini."

Makes me want to throw up. I don’t know if Gavin Newsome’s got a good idea here or not but I haven’t heard a better idea.