State resolution calling for U.S. constitutional convention on gun control moves ahead
Newsom’s bid for a constitutional convention is led by state Sen. Wahab. With Labor Day around the corner, the 2024 election season is almost in full swing. Here’s the early list of those running
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
10TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT
—28TH AMENDMENT?—Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bid to lead a nationwide conversation on gun control that includes a U.S. constitutional convention on the subject was approved by the state Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday afternoon.
—Hayward State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Southern California Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer are Newsom’s point persons tasked with moving Senate Joint Resolution 7 through the Legislature.
—Wahab, who also chairs the public safety committee, introduced the resolution on Tuesday.
—"This supports the Second Amendment, but it also puts in the safeguards that are very reasonable. We do have an opportunity for California to continue being a leader on gun safety," Wahab said.
—SJR 7 offers four points: It seeks to raise the federal minimum age for purchasing a firearm from 18 to 21 years old; mandates universal background checks; institutes a “reasonable waiting period” before receiving a firearm; and bans the civil purchase of assault weapons or “weapons of war.”
—State Sen. Nancy Skinner of Berkeley, a member of the committee, said, “The majority of the residents of our country—of Americans—of all our brothers and sisters across this nation want the kind of common sense protections that are built into this resolution.”
—“What about our constitutional right?” Skinner said, referring pro-gun activists. “Those of us who want to support the Second Amendment, but want to ensure safety and want to ensure that states can act to achieve safety? Our constitutional protections are at risk.”
—But state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, another member of the committee, said while he wholeheartedly supports each point in the resolution, he could not support the legislation because of concerns that far-right activists will use a constitutional convention to attempt to rewrite reproductive rights, LGBT rights, separation of church and state, and voting rights.
—The resolution, Wahab said, was crafted to avoid any attempts to change the focus on the constitutional convention away from gun control issues.
—Wahab said nearly half of the entire Legislature has signed on to SJR 7 as a coauthor.
—Even if the Legislature approves SJR 7, we are still a long way from a constitutional convention that could add eventually create a 28th Amendment. Thirty-four states, including California, must signed on to the resolution before a constitutional convention can begin.
Program note: The East Bay Insiders Newsletter is a labor of love, but in observance of Labor Day, the newsletter is taking a breather starting this Friday and will return on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5.
There’s a lot to cover as the fall legislative year begins in East Bay government, along with the post-Labor Day official start of the 2024 election season.
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