22nd July, 2022
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed gun-control law that mimics a new Texas abortion law, allowing residents to sue companies that distribute banned firearms.
The California law targets so-called ghost guns, untraceable parts that can be assembled into a firearm by a purchaser.
The law encourages residents to sue gun makers and sellers who deal in illegal assault weapons, ghost gun parts and guns without serial numbers. The state will award those who launch such lawsuits $10,000 per weapon in question.
“California has the toughest gun safety laws in the nation, but none of us can afford to be complacent in tackling the gun violence crisis ravaging our country,” Newsom said ahead of the signing.
Newsom first proposed the bounty system in December after Texas enacted one of the country’s strictest and most controversial abortion laws.
The Texas law banned all abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as little as six weeks. The law was enforced by private citizens who would be allowed to sue doctors and clinics that perform abortions. The law comes with a $10,000 reward to the person who sues, to be paid by any defendant found to violate it.
Newsom said the new California law was also inspired by last month’s Supreme Court ruling that Americans have the right to carry arms outside of the home and in public.
“While the Supreme Court rolls back reasonable gun safety measures, California continues adding new ways to protect the lives of our kids,” he added.
“California will use every tool at its disposal to save lives, especially in the face of an increasingly extreme Supreme Court.”