By Greg Marchetto
The days are officially counting down till Gavin Newsom’s recall, but his questionable decisions opposing California citizen’s liberties continue to pile up.
Newsom’s position on gun control has been clear since the day he took office. In 2019, Newsom passed 15 sweeping gun control laws heavily restricting citizen’s gun rights. For example, SB21 removed the right for 21 year-olds to buy semi-automatic rifles, and AB 61 allowed individuals in the workplace to file gun violence restraining orders against fellow coworkers, employees, or employers.
In early June, Newsom took his opinions to the media, slamming a San Diego District judge who struck down a California ban on assault weapons. In his ruling, Judge Roger Benitez deemed that a ban on AR-15 rifles was both unconstitutionally infringing on citizen’s second amendment rights, and unnecessary as knife stabbings are far more prevalent than AR-15 related deaths. Judge Benitez has reliably ruled in favor of protecting American’s constitutional right to bear arms, making this the third in the last few years in which he blocked state restrictions of guns or ammunition.
Newsom’s criticisms were not just ideological- but personal. In his news conference, the governor described the judge as a “stone cold idealogue” bought by the NRA. Never once did Newsom make a legal counter-argument to Judge Benitez’s 94-page ruling. In response, the San Diego Bar Association came out in support of Judge Benitez, encouraging Newsom not to undermine the persona of legal scholars serving our courts, but rather express disagreements with coherent legal basis.
Governor Newsom might not care about the constitution, but neither do Californians care about his tyrannical policies. On September 14th, voters will finally be able to end his term prematurely.
You can read the San Diego County Bar Association’s press release here.
