Gavin Newsom: If Texans can sue abortion providers, Californians can sue gun makers

Responding to Texas lawmakers who empowered their state’s private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who “aids and abets” women trying to terminate a pregnancy after six weeks, California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he plans to utilize the same tactic against gun manufacturers.

“SCOTUS is letting private citizens in Texas sue to stop abortion?!” Newsom tweeted this Saturday. “If that’s the precedent then we’ll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets.”

“If TX can ban abortion and endanger lives, CA can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives,” he added.

As Mother Jones points out, Newsom’s plan will likely go over well with progressives, but whether or not it’s legal is another question.

“California has long banned the manufacture and sale of so-called assault style weapons, including semi-automatic rifles like the popular AR-15. A federal judge ruled in June that the state’s law is unconstitutional in an opinion in which he compared AR-15s to Swiss Army knifes,” writes Dan Friedman. “The ban remains in effect while the states appeals.”

But according to Newsom: “If the most efficient way to keep these devastating weapons off our streets is to add the threat of private lawsuits, we should do just that.”

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.