LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday he is proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that would enshrine into law gun regulations including universal background checks and raising the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21, his latest foray into national politics.
Newsom’s proposed 28th Amendment would also institute what he called a “reasonable” waiting period for all gun purchases and ban assault rifles throughout the country.
“The gun lobby says we can’t stop the carnage America now experiences every day without violating the 2nd Amendment – that thoughts and prayers are the best we can do … that’s a lie,” Newsom said in a statement. “In this country, we do have the power to change things. That power is written into the Constitution, and today we’re using it to end America’s gun violence crisis.”
His pitch for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution will be an uphill battle — a new amendment has not been added since 1992.
Amending the Constitution requires either approval from two-thirds of the members of Congress or for 33 states to support the effort and call for holding a constitutional convention. Newsom said he plans to try to win approval from other states rather than Congress, though Republicans hold more power in statehouses across the country.
Newsom told NBC’s “The Today Show” in an interview that the proposal is in response to the courts rolling back several gun safety laws. For example, in 2022, the Supreme Court rejected a century-old New York law that made it difficult to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun.
