The proposal, dubbed the Right to Safety Amendment, would enshrine major restrictions on Second Amendment freedoms.
Among the constitutional changes would be raising the minimum age to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21. A nationwide waiting period to purchase weapons would be instituted and so-called “assault weapons” would be banned. Finally, universal background checks would become federal law.
Newsom claims these measures would leave the Second Amendment intact. He even said they reinforce the American tradition of owning firearms.
These amendment proposals reflect laws already in place in California, but Newsom has an obvious aspiration for higher office. His 28th Amendment appeals to a certain base, and he is counting on this to be a plank in his national platform.
Gun control advocates rank the Golden State as number one in the nation for restricting gun rights. Interestingly, the state is also cited by the FBI as tops in the country for “active shooter incidents.”
A convention would be the first step toward ratification of a new constitutional amendment. Two-thirds of states must request the amendment though a convention called for that reason. It may also spring from a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress.
Even that is not enough.
Then the amendment must either be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures or three-fourths of conventions called in each state for the purpose of ratification.
Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the current political landscape understands this is not going to happen. It is grandstanding in its purest form — putting on a show to appeal to a certain block of voters. And Newsom knows this well.
