By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
When historically anti-gun California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently declared he is “not anti-gun…just for gun safety” during an appearance with Tennessee-based podcaster Shawn Ryan, it was cause for cautious optimism that the far-left Golden State Democrat had turned over a new leaf.
The occasion was Newsom’s visit to Tennessee, highlighted by Ryan’s gifting of a new Sig Sauer pistol to the governor, who is making moves like a future presidential candidate with an eye on 2028.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms took a hard look at this event, and issued a statement telling Newsom his remarks need “affirmation by action.”
“Assuming that Newsom’s epiphany is real and he is trying to revive a pro-gun wing of the Democratic Party as exemplified by Eleanor Roosevelt and Hubert Humphrey,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “he can demonstrate this by telling gun grabbers in the California legislature to end their crusade against Second Amendment rights.
“He can tell Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel to stop his war on Glock pistols,” Gottlieb continued. “And, to solidify his newly-professed pro-gun philosophy, Newsom can force major amendments to Senate Bill 704, which imposes new requirements on barrel transfers, or veto the legislation altogether.”
Although Newsom was gifted with the Sig pistol, he left the gun in Tennessee with Ryan so it could be legally transferred to him back in California, where it will be shipped via a federally-licensed firearms dealer to another dealer near Newsom’s residence in Sacramento.
“When the gun arrives, the governor can fill out the necessary paperwork and go through the state’s 10-day waiting period after he passes a background check,” CCRKBA said in a prepared statement. “If he plans to carry concealed, he must obtain a California Firearm Safety Certificate before he applies for a carry permit.”
Good luck with that, since some counties are continuing to drag their feet when it comes to issuing the permits.
“We will wait with bated breath for Gov. Newsom to announce he has completed all of the California requirements,” Gottlieb said, “and then he can show us a sample of his safety and marksmanship skills, which should be rather enlightening.”
Having never been friendly to the Second Amendment, Newsom’s sudden change of heart has left the firearms fraternity with a “wait-and-see” attitude.
“Newsom might further cement his position as a gun rights champion by encouraging Attorney General Rob Bonta to drop his opposition to lawsuits brought by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and others,” Gottlieb commented. “He can also lobby the State Assembly to change California anti-gun laws passed hastily to get around the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in the Bruen case.
“The governor’s daughter turns 18 in 2027,” he noted. “How will Gavin react if she wants to own a handgun for personal protection? He might start now by encouraging Bonta to support SAF’s efforts to overturn state and federal restrictions against handgun ownership by young adults.
“Gavin has a ways to go before he convinces anyone he has turned over a new leaf on gun rights,” Gottlieb said. “He should start right now.”
