In a video interview with Tennessee-based podcaster Shawn Ryan published earlier this month, anti-gun California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared to accept a gift of a Sig P365 XMACRO semi-automatic handgun from the former U.S. Navy SEAL. We reported on the incident last week, expressing doubt about Newsom’s professed excitement for the gift. Sure enough, a subsequent report from a California assemblyman indicates that Newsom later rejected the pistol, at least in part due to just how difficult it would be to comply with the not-so-Golden State’s byzantine gun control laws.
To recap, during the interview Ryan handed Newsom a boxed Sig P365 XMACRO pistol. Upon receiving the gift, the notorious gun control supporter gushed about just how “cool” it was, stating, “This is fabulous. You know what, the last thing people would expect is that I respect this gift.”
The politician then went on to claim that he is “not anti-gun at all,” adding, “I’m also deeply mindful and respectful of the Second Amendment and people’s Constitutional rights.”
Of course, as NRA-ILA has documented, Newsom’s actions make clear that he is anti-gun and anti-Second Amendment. While Newsom was Mayor of San Francisco, the city argued to the U.S. Supreme Court that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right to keep and bear arms at all. And as governor, Newsom even proposed amending the Second Amendment to impose California-style gun control on the entire United States.
As it turns out, California’s convoluted infringements on the right to keep and bear arms may have proven too difficult for even the state’s governor to comply with. Following publication of the Newsom interview, the Fallbrook & Bonsall Village News, which serves northern San Diego County, published an item from the office of California Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (AD75) titled “Gavin Newsom prevented from accepting gun gift by Gavin Newsom.”
According to the piece,
DeMaio’s office has now learned that off camera Newsom rejected the gift because of compliance rules and left the firearm behind in Tennessee. Newsom’s team has since admitted that the California anti-gun laws are so complicated that they have had to hire legal counsel to conduct a legal review.
The assemblyman’s office went on to explain how DeMaio had reached out to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and California Attorney General Rob Bonta urging them so assist Newsom in complying with the law. The piece noted,
“First, he’ll need a background check, a Firearm Safety Certificate, a DROS submission, a 10-day waiting period, a safe storage affidavit, and don’t forget the special taxes,” DeMaio quipped. “And that’s before figuring out how to actually get the gun into California without committing a felony under his own rules,” DeMaio added.
“I’m asking for the full weight of the DOJ to guide the Governor through the painful, bureaucratic maze he built, because let’s be honest, he needs the help to navigate the mess he created,” DeMaio said.
If Newsom ever really had any intention of ever accepting the pistol, he might benefit from the help. California’s intricate gun control laws are difficult for most people to navigate, and that is by design.
Americans shouldn’t need to retain legal counsel, or the intervention of top-level state and federal officers, to exercise a Constitutional right.
On that note, if Shawn Ryan is still looking for a home for that Sig, a listener in a free state would undoubtedly be happy to designate an FFL through which to receive it in his or her jurisdiction of residence.
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