Gavin Newsom Should Be Nervous Over This Investigation into California Gun Control

By: Anthony Morelli

California is one of the most anti-gun states in America.

And Gavin Newsom is the head of it.

Now there is an investigation taking place into gun control in one of California’s biggest counties.

Gavin Newsom is not directly responsible for the gun laws in Los Angeles County, but he is the head of the state of California and has a long history of supporting gun control.

That’s why he should be a bit nervous about the fact that the gun control regime in Los Angeles County is being investigated.

The state of California has very strict gun laws itself, and it is entirely possible that this investigation into the gun control regime at the county level could reveal some things about the state as well.

Newsom has been trying to moderate his public image, likely in preparation for a 2028 presidential campaign, and he probably does not want to be seen as a raving anti-gun lunatic right now.

That’s why it would be highly problematic for him if the extreme gun control laws of his state became a major national story that ruined his efforts to look more moderate.

According to Ammoland, “‘U.S. Department of Justice Announces Second Amendment Pattern-or-Practice Investigation into California’s Los Angeles County,’ a Thursday DOJ Office of Public Affairs press release announced. They’re looking into ‘lengthy eighteen-month delays’ in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s processing of concealed handgun license applications and charge ‘the Civil Rights Division has reason to believe that those two plaintiffs are not the only residents of Los Angeles County experiencing similarly long delays that are unduly burdening, or effectively denying, the Second Amendment rights of the people of Los Angeles.’”

Of course, these delays could in theory just be limited to the county level, and the investigation might not turn up anything concerning at the state level.

But if nothing else, it will highlight the extreme nature of gun laws in California, which will shine a light on the fact that Newsom is not as moderate as he currently says he is.

The article continues, “That is long overdue and welcome news, and it’s something some of us have been urging the DOJ to make happen for decades.  Longtime gun owner advocates may recall the “Ashcroft Petition” from the beginning of this century, a project this correspondent was closely involved in from initial conception through execution and reporting. Attorney General John Ashcroft was challenged to back his (unprecedented for the DOJ) admission that the Second Amendment was an individual right with meaningful action to protect it. That, too, was primarily focused on infringements in California but applicable to all states, and based on clear precedent.”

California will probably always be one of the most anti-gun states in America. Gavin Newsom didn’t make it that way, and it will continue to be that way after he leaves.

But Newsom certainly didn’t make things any better, and if nothing else, this investigation into Los Angeles County will remind Americans of how extreme Newsom has been on gun control.