Former San Francisco Mayor, current California Lieutenant Governor and 2018 California Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom has decided to take the advice of
Chris Rock and try to regulate bullets, with a statewide outright ban on the possession of high capacity magazines and background checks on every ammunition sale (with no gun show loophole, we can only hope). And he's proposing it as a direct ballot initiative, to skip the
NRA-bought-and-paid-for legislators.
Newsom, 48, who plans to run for governor in 2018, last week announced he'll lead a ballot initiative next year to significantly bolster California's already tough gun laws.
He proposes a statewide ban on possession — not just sales — of high-capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. San Francisco and the city of Los Angeles already have approved similar bans. Newsom also wants to require instant background checks — the first in the nation — for every ammunition purchase. After all, guns don't kill people. Bullets do.
Now, is this an effective workaround for the Second Amendment? Given the
Heller holding, bullet control may have its limits, but it's worth a shot and you never know who will be sitting on SCOTUS when it reaches that point.