With all the different anti-gun Democrat politicians speaking out against the proposed ATF reforms that would roll back some Biden-era infringements on Second Amendment rights, it will probably come as little surprise that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has jumped on the bandwagon.
Newsom throws around the same lies as every other Democrat politician
The presidential hopeful who has dragged his state down to a near disaster and wants to help the nation follow suit is proclaiming, as have other gun-ban advocates, that the ATF proposals “weaken federal gun safety.”
In an August 10 news release filled with lies and half-truths, Newsom said the reforms, which come on the heels of President Donald Trump’s executive order to protect the Second Amendment, amount to a “giveaway to gun traffickers, a threat to law enforcement and a dangerous move away from common-sense practices that protect children.”
Newsom hits every talking point that Cekada already debunked
“The Trump administration is moving forward with changes it openly admits may result in more mass shootings and military veteran suicides,” Newsom said, reiterating anti-gun talking points that ATF Director Robert Cekada refuted here. “It calls child safety warnings ‘an undue burden’ on firearms dealers. And it is orchestrating a purge on records that would help law enforcement solve crimes. We’ve seen politicians in the pocket of the gun lobby here; Trump is putting our communities in danger and seems to be squarely in the pocket of criminals.”
Buying a gun online still requires a background check — but Newsom won’t tell you that
Among other claims, Newsom said that the Trump administration has proposed changes that would “make buying a gun online easier than buying alcohol” — allowing a dealer to ship a firearm straight to the buyer’s door, with only remote identity verification and no trip to the counter. He failed to mention, however, that buyers would go through the same background check as face-to-face purchases, or that buying a gun is protected by the Constitution, whereas buying alcohol is not.
Newsom lined up three California agencies to file comments
Newsom was joined in his bashing of the proposals by various California agencies that would do more to fight violent crime by concentrating on criminals and not constantly making it more difficult for lawful gun owners to exercise Second Amendment rights.
“California is fighting back against the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken these longstanding federal safeguards — the mail restriction itself is nearly 100 years old — through a multi-agency response to oppose the Trump administration,” the news release stated. “The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), and California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) each filed formal comments detailing the real-world consequences these proposals would have for public safety, veterans, crime survivors and communities across California.”
Sears catalog firearms weren’t a violent crime problem — Newsom’s history lesson misses the mark
In truth, Newsom and other California officials are comparing apples to oranges when discussing remote gun purchases. While the law against the United States Postal Service shipping firearms might be nearly 100 years old, before 1968, Americans regularly ordered firearms from the Sears catalog and had them delivered directly to their front doors. And violent crime was much lower then.
Furthermore, an unconstitutional law is still unconstitutional, regardless of how long it has been in effect. Just because it’s old, doesn’t make it right.
ATF should ignore Newsom and move forward with the reforms
Ultimately, Newsom and the other California officials are just spouting hot air about the proposals, just like gun-ban organizations and anti-gun attorneys general have been doing over the past few weeks. Hopefully, ATF will ignore their attempt to derail the reforms and move forward with final rules that will protect gun owners and the Second Amendment.
