Gavin Newsom Wants California Voters To Take On The NRA

Mollie Reilly
Updated

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) proposed a ballot measure on Thursday that would bolster the state's gun laws and give California's voters a chance to do what the state legislature hasn't.

Newsom's call comes two weeks after a gunman killed nine other people at a community college in Oregon, again prompting anger and frustration nationwide over the lack of action to prevent mass shootings.

The proposed measure, written in conjunction with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, has five components: banning most possession of high-capacity magazines, mandating background checks on ammunition sales, requiring individuals to report lost or stolen firearms, ordering the state to share data with the federal government on who is prohibited from owning guns, and strengthening existing laws aimed at keeping guns out of the wrong hands.

Newsom, who is running for governor in 2018,unveiled his proposal at a press conference in San Francisco, near the site of the 1993 massacre at101 California Street. That shooting, in which a gunman killed eight people and wounded six others at a law firm before killing himself, sparked a national conversation on gun control that eventually led to the passage of a federal assault weapons ban in 1994. (The law expired in 2004 and has not been renewed by Congress.)

On Thursday, Newsom pointed to the number of mass shootings in recent years, lamenting that lawmakers have failed to take any meaningful action toward preventing such incidents.

"We have the ability to do something about it," he said. "We have the capacity to turn things around."

Newsom noted that an advantage of passing firearms reforms via ballot measure is that it will bypass legislators who receive donations from the National Rifle Association.

"I'll say this to the NRA, with all due respect: You can intimidate politicians. We've seen that. You've been effective," Newsom said. "But you can't intimidate the public. That's why we're bringing this directly to the public."

Watch Newsom's remarks:

Newsom's measure needs to collect 365,880 signatures to qualify for next year's ballot. That shouldn't be much of a challenge in California, where a2013 Field Pollfound that 61 percent of voters believe it's more important to impose greater restrictions on gun ownership than to protect the right to bear arms. That same poll also found 75 percent support requiring individuals to pass a background check to buy ammunition and 58 percent back banning high-capacity magazines.

California already has some of the nation's toughest gun laws, including a 1999 ban on assault weapons. Additionally, cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco andSunnyvalehave adopted gun control measures of their own.

All of those proposals have been met with strong opposition from the NRA, whichweighed inon Newsom's proposal on Twitter:

As of last week, there have been more than1,000 mass shooting incidentsin the United States since January 2013. Meanwhile, Congress has failed to pass any meaningful legislation addressing the epidemic of gun violence.

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1981: The Attempted Assassination Of President Ronald Reagan

On March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head.
On March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head.

1993: The Brady Handgun Violence Act

The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1993, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, mandated that federally licensed dealers complete comprehensive background checks on individuals before selling them a gun. The legislation was named for James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1993, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, mandated that federally licensed dealers complete comprehensive background checks on individuals before selling them a gun. The legislation was named for James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

1994: The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, instituted a ban on 19 kinds of assault weapons, including Uzis and AK-47s. The crime bill also banned the possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. (An exemption was made for weapons and magazines manufactured prior to the ban.)

2007: The U.S. Court of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Rules In Favor Of Dick Heller

In 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to allow Dick Heller, a licensed District police officer, to keep a handgun in his home in Washington, D.C. Following that ruling, the defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
In 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to allow Dick Heller, a licensed District police officer, to keep a handgun in his home in Washington, D.C. Following that ruling, the defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

2008: Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Handgun Ban As Unconstitutional

In June of 2008, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of a lower court ruling the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional in the landmark case <em>District of Columbia v. Heller</em>.
In June of 2008, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of a lower court ruling the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller.

Gabrielle Giffords And Trayvon Martin Shootings

Gun control advocates had high hopes that reform efforts would have increased momentum in the wake of two tragic events that rocked the nation. In January of 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire at an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), killing six and injuring 13, including the congresswoman. Resulting attempts to push gun control legislation <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/trayvon-martin-shooting-gun-debate_n_1413115.html" target="_hplink">proved fruitless</a>, with neither proposal even succeeding in gaining a single GOP co-sponsor. More than a year after that shooting, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/trayvon-martin" target="_hplink">gunned down</a> by George Zimmerman in an event that some believed would bring increased scrutiny on the nation's Stand Your Ground laws. While there has been increasing discussion over the nature of those statutes, lawmakers were <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/trayvon-martin-shooting-gun-debate_n_1413115.html" target="_hplink">quick to concede</a> that they had little faith the event would effectively spur gun control legislation, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's vast lobbying power. Read more <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/trayvon-martin-shooting-gun-debate_n_1413115.html" target="_hplink">here</a>:

Colorado Movie Theater Shooting

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Sikh Temple Shooting

On August 5, 2012, white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire on a Sikhs gathered at a temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding four more before turning the gun on himself.
On August 5, 2012, white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire on a Sikhs gathered at a temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding four more before turning the gun on himself.