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California Advances Gun Control Bills Amid Texas School Massacre

Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. | Brandon Bell, Getty Images
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This storywas originally published May 25, 2022 by CalMatters.

As news traveled around the country Tuesday of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left at least 22 dead — including 19 children, two teachers and the 18-year-old gunman — California lawmakers were advancing a package of gun control bills, including one sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom that co-opts the structure of Texas’ abortion ban to crack down on illegal firearms.

The striking timing highlighted a shared challenge facing California, Texas and other states: reducing gun deaths, which have ticked up dramatically nationwide amid the pandemic.

But it also served as a launchpad for Newsom — a relentless critic of Texas — and other top Democratic officials to castigate Republicans for refusing to support tougher restrictions on guns.

  • Newsom tweeted: “Another shooting. And the GOP won’t do a damn thing about it. Who the hell are we if we cannot keep our kids safe. This is preventable. Our inaction is a choice.”
  • Attorney General Rob Bonta tweeted: “These are our children. Our babies. This is sick. And I’m damn angry. The GOP continues to prioritize the gun lobby over the LIVES of our children.”

Democratic legislators invoked the Texas shooting on multiple occasions during a marathon Senate floor session Tuesday: “One more gun death is too many,” said state Sen. Anthony Portantino of Glendale, urging support for the bill inspired by Texas’ abortion ban that would give private Californians the right to sue manufacturers, sellers and distributors of illegal assault weapons, ghost guns and certain other firearms and to collect at least $10,000 in civil damages per weapon.

  • The proposal passed on a close-to-party-line vote: Democratic state Sen. Melissa Hurtado of Sanger voted with the Republicans in opposition.

Following last week’s culling of more than 200 bills in a highly secretive and opaque process, the Assembly and Senate are rushing to pass hundreds of bills ahead of a Friday deadline for proposals to clear the house in which they were introduced.

Here’s a look at other gun proposals moving forward:

And here’s a rundown of other high-profile bills that advanced to the other house:

One last tidbit of Capitol news: In case last week’s warning that California could be heading toward a “fiscal cliff” wasn’t dire enough, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office on Tuesday released a report reiterating its concerns that Newsom’s $301 billion budget proposal “does not include a plan” to address “looming budget problems.”

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

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