Democrats in California push for radical gun control

This Wednesday, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, announced that he will seek to further restrict gun use by limiting the places where people would be permitted to carry their concealed weapons. Newsom, along with other Democrats, announced that their proposed legislation would ban guns from being carried in public libraries, churches, playgrounds, zoos, banks and other businesses.

The exception would be for those churches or businesses that post a sign indicating that they agree to the carrying of weapons on their property. "Gun safety saves lives. More guns, more lives lost," the governor said during a press conference announcing the proposed bill.

Newsom's decision came after a wave of shootings erupted that left nearly two dozen people dead and scores injured in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay during the month of January alone. However, the Republicans stressed that concealed weapons are not the cause for the rampant wave of violence occurring in California.

"There's no correlation between people who carry legally, and the violence and shootings that we've seen in California. That's not the issue when it comes to these mass shootings that we've recently seen," said Republican James Gallagher.

The California state director of the National Rifle Association, Dan Reid, called the legislation a "political stunt" that does not really seek to end violence.

“If Governor Newsom and Attorney General [Rob] Bonta truly wanted to address the violent crime running rampant through their state, they’d put an end to the soft-on-crime policies and no cash bail programs that have turned California into a nightmare for its citizens. Instead, these politicians have chosen to further restrict the rights of those who follow the law with a political stunt that will not make Californians any safer," he said.

Shootings in states with greater gun control

In 2020 alone, six of the ten deadliest shootings since 2020 took place in states with stricter gun control legislation.

California without a doubt, is the state that has bore the brunt of the most violent events of this type and, is also the state where the highest number of fatalities have occured during the aforementioned period of time.