. . . except when they are. News from California, via the Sacramento Bee:
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday will introduce a measure for next year’s ballot that aims to stanch the proliferation of gun violence, including a provision to require ammunition buyers to undergo background checks.
Newsom, a Democrat running for governor in 2018, will announce the measure in San Francisco, where he’ll be joined by co-authors from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, an organization that grew out of the mass shooting at 101 California St. in 1993.
His measure, which requires nearly 366,000 signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot, incorporates provisions of bills that stalled at the state Capitol. It would ban the possession of large-capacity magazines – more than 10 rounds – and require anyone who currently has them to sell to a licensed firearm dealer, transfer them out of state or relinquish them to law enforcement to be disposed of.
I can hear the, “look, this isn’t radical or new, we already confiscated certain magazines . . .” arguments already.
Incidentally there is no “proliferation” of violence. “Proliferation” means “a rapid increase in numbers.” In the United States, crime and violence of all types continues to decrease year on year.