Campaign: Gavin Newsom ‘Shamelessly Exploiting’ Terror for Gun Control

A new campaign launched in opposition to Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom’s November 2016 gun control ballot initiative accuses Newsom of “shamelessly exploiting” the San Bernardino terror attack.

Newsom’s ballot initiative seeks a statewide ban on “high capacity” magazines and a background check system for ammunition purchasers, similar to the system in place for gun purchasers.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the opposition campaign—Coalition for More Civil Liberties (CFMCL)–includes gun rights groups as well as “diverse” supporters like Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee and “technology executive Chris Cheng.”  All are opposed to the way Newsom, a leading Democratic candidate for governor in 2018, appears to be piggy-backing his gun control efforts on the December 2 terror attack.

Newsom originally launched his ballot initiative in October–two months before the San Bernardino terror attack occurred–but he sent an email days after the attack, thereby co-opting it as justification for the gun control push. In that email, Newsom said, “Because the devastating violence, the mass shootings – none of it will end until we stand up to the NRA and pass gun safety reform for our communities.”

Cheng described Newsom’s efforts as a “broad net that disproportionately impacts law-abiding citizens,” the Times reports.

The California Rifle and Pistol Association views the initiative similarly, and on Friday, according to the Times, the group sent an email to supporters and “potential supporters,” saying, “Former San Francisco Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom thinks he can become Governor by shamelessly exploiting the San Bernardino attacks and the fear that flowed from those attacks.”

Breitbart News previously reported that Newsom’s rhetoric and gun control initiative stand in stark contrast to his personal habit of depending on guns for his own safety. Throughout his years in public office Newsom has spent millions in taxpayer funds on armed guards.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.