According to the Daily Signal, the ballot measure “is pitting sheriffs, police chiefs, and prosecutors against most of the state’s political establishment.”
Newsom is the Democrat with an eye on becoming the Golden State’s next governor. His measure has the support of California’s two vehemently anti-gun U.S. Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, also both Democrats. Newspapers in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco have endorsed the measure, along with other politicians, the Daily Signal noted.
But the opponents have a pretty strong lineup, too. They include the California State Sheriffs’ Association, Western State Sheriffs’ Association, California Police Chiefs Association, the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County, California Fish & Game Wardens Association, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, California Reserve Peace Officers Association, San Francisco Veteran Police Officers Association, Law Enforcement Action Network and Law Enforcement Alliance of America.
Maybe police and prosecutors know something that politicians don’t, or at least would never admit: Criminals don’t obey laws already on the books. They’re going to ignore Newsom’s “Safety for All” proposition if it is approved, as well.
As noted by Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood in a quote to the Daily Signal, “California has the strictest gun laws now and they have no impact on crime because senators aren’t going to follow the law.”
Olympic champ Kim Rhode, a California resident, has also opposed the measure publicly. In an open letter to National Rifle Association members in California, Rhode stated, “Prop. 63 is a very bad proposal that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants you to believe will keep guns and ammunition out of the wrong hands. The problem is, buried in Proposition 63’s 34 pages of fine print are oppressive restrictions on the purchase and transporting of ammunition by all Californians. Proposition 63 will do nothing to stop violent criminals from having guns and ammunition, and will be very costly to law-abiding citizens who want or need to purchase ammunition for recreation, home defense and competition.”
Odds are this measure will pass, according to various pundits. This raises the question: At what point do Californians draw the line?
