Texas Shooting Prompts CA Senate To Pass Bill Targeting Assault Guns

CALIFORNIA — One day after another mass shooting killed 19 children at an elementary school in Texas, Golden State lawmakers took swift action to pass a bill to allow private citizens to file suits against manufacturers of illegal assault weapons or untraceable ghost guns.

SB-1327 borrows tactics from a controversial approach to outlawing most abortions in Texas, in which residents are allowed to sue abortion clinics to stop procedures. The California Senate passed the bill Tuesday, which will allow Californians to file a suit against manufacturers for at least $10,000, mirroring the Texas abortion bill.

“If that’s the precedent then we’ll let Californians sue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets,” Newsom tweeted after the Supreme Court allowed Texas to enforce the abortion law, which bans procedures after cardiac activity is detected, which typically happens six weeks into a pregnancy.

The California bill, co-authored by Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada), was first introduced by Gov. Gavin Newsom in December.

The Senate set the bill to the Assembly after a 24-10 vote.

READ MORE: Texas School Shooting: 19 Children Killed In Uvalde

California began restricting assault weapons in 1989 and has updated the law several times since. To date, there are an estimated 185,569 assault weapons registered within California. State law defines assault weapons as semiautomatic rifles or pistols that have a variety of functions.

Assault weapons as defined by the law are more dangerous than other firearms and are disproportionately used in crimes, mass shootings and against law enforcement with more resulting casualties, according to the state attorney general's office.

"If the most efficient way to keep these devastating weapons off our streets is to add the threat of private lawsuits, we should do just that," Newsom said in December.

Newsom decried the Texas shooting on Tuesday, lambasting Republicans.

"Another shooting. And the GOP won't do a damn thing about it," he tweeted Tuesday shortly after the shooting. "Who the hell are we if we cannot keep our kids safe. This is preventable. Our inaction is a choice."

On Tuesday, at least two adults and 19 children were shot to death at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott identified the shooter as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, of Uvalde. The shooter carried a long rifle with multiple rounds of ammunition and wore a tactical vest as body armor, Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety told The Associated Press.

Ramos was shot dead by law enforcement.

READ MORE: Texas School Shooting: Gunman Killed 19 Kids, 2 Teachers In Same Class

In California alone, 26 mass shootings have been reported this year, according to the gun violence archive. Nationwide, 213 mass shootings have been reported in 2022, according to the archive.

Leaders have been at odds about whether assault weapons should be regulated or how they should tracked. On Tuesday, Sen. Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno) announced Tuesday that he would favor requiring serial numbers on all firearms but said he is against private enforcement.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez overturned a decades old law that banned the sale and manufacture of many assault-style guns. Benitez said the law was unconstitutional and compared the AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army knife.

The ruling enraged Newsom and prompted him to strategize a new way to keep assault weapons out of the Golden State.

"We need to call this federal judge out. He will continue to do damage, mark my word," Newsom said, calling the judge a "stone-cold ideologue."

READ MORE: Federal Judge Overturns CA's Ban On Assault Weapons