By: José Niño
In early June, California Governor Gavin Newsom put forward a 28th Amendment proposal that would codify several gun control measures into law. In a press statement that his office released, Newsom spelled out what this amendment would consist of:
“While leaving the 2nd Amendment unchanged and respecting America’s gun-owning tradition, the Governor’s proposal guarantees common sense constitutional protections and gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, independent voters, and gun owners overwhelmingly support – including universal background checks, raising the firearm purchase age to 21, instituting a firearm purchase waiting period, and barring the civilian purchase of assault weapons.”
Indeed, Newsom’s proposal doesn’t call for full-fledged confiscation of firearms. However, it’s very much in line with the gun-controller strategy of pursuing gradualist gun control measures to condition the public into embracing more radical forms of gun control.
The name of the game here is gradualism. Seasoned gun controllers understand that the right to bear arms is a deeply ingrained right in American culture. The forces of tyranny simply can’t destroy this freedom overnight. In light of this obstacle, they have had to pursue a multi-pronged strategy to promote civilian disarmament.
This has consisted of pushing for gradual legislative reforms that chip away at the Second Amendment, using litigation to bankrupt gun stores, pressuring financial platforms to debank gun stores, and twisting the arms of social media companies to censor pro-gun organizations and regular gun businesses.
Say what you want about Gun Control Inc.; these people do not rest, and they will find every way possible to undermine the right to bear arms. Such relentless activism requires the forces of the pro-gun Right to always remain vigilant and be prepared to push back against this diabolical agenda.
Indeed, California is an anti-gun cesspit. However, the Right’s historic failure to let the state become permanently blue has had broad implications for US politics. In many respects, California is a trend-setter for all sorts of bad policies. Gun control is chief among them.
Any proposal that is put forward in California will likely be coming to a state legislature near you. That’s the harsh reality of contemporary politics in the US. While Newsom’s 28th Amendment proposal should be rightfully mocked, it should also serve as a sign as to what will happen if the Second Amendment community slacks off on its activism.
The anti-gun Left is playing for keeps here. They don’t care for rational debate or consensus-building. Domination is their end goal. For that reason, pro-gun forces must rise up and derail these malevolent forces everywhere they dare pop up.
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.