California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a bill that would go after the Second Amendment. In the style of Texas’s controversial abortion law, it would allow any Californian to sue gun manufacturers.
“[Supreme Court] is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?! If that’s the precedent then we’ll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets. If [Texas] can ban abortion and endanger lives, [California] can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives,” tweeted Newsom on Saturday. This follows a Supreme Court decision allowing the Texas abortion law, which allows lawsuits against Texan abortion providers and those who aid abortions after a heartbeat is detected, to stand. The Supreme Court has also allowed lawsuits against that law to proceed.
While the Texas law is not without controversy, the Constitution does not include an explicitly identified right to an abortion. It does, however, provide for the right to keep and bear arms. Trying to put gun manufacturers out of business for the actions of a criminal with a gun is asinine and dangerous. It is people, not guns, that commit gun crimes.
Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Should car manufacturers be put out of business? Of course not. After all, car crashes and deaths are caused by drivers, not cars. By Newsom’s logic, we should, for example, allow lawsuits against the Ford car manufacturer. After all, one of its vehicles was used to kill six people in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last month.
It’s also worth noting that while Newsom says he wants to save lives from gun violence, he has no care for protecting the unborn. Talk about being hypocritical.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
