The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) has strongly criticized California’s new law, AB 1598, which requires firearms dealers to provide buyers with a pamphlet warning about the dangers of gun ownership.
The group labeled the legislation as “legislative social bigotry” and accused Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers of targeting gun owners unfairly.
AB 1598, signed into law by Governor Newsom, mandates gun dealers distribute informational pamphlets highlighting risks associated with gun ownership, including accidents, suicide, and firearm misuse. The measure, according to proponents, aims to enhance public safety and encourage responsible gun ownership.
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However, critics argue the law is part of a broader effort to stigmatize gun ownership.
“This new law is just another effort by anti-gun Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom to discourage Californians from exercising their constitutional right to become gun owners,” said Alan Gottlieb, Chairman of CCRKBA. “Demonizing guns is a deceptive strategy designed to fool people into believing something is being done to prevent violent crime, when the opposite is true.”
Gottlieb questioned why firearms were singled out, noting that traffic accidents result in more fatalities annually in California than gun-related deaths.
“Why not force car dealers to provide a pamphlet to each customer, telling them about the dangers of driving?” Gottlieb asked. “More people were killed in traffic accidents in 2023 than from gunshot wounds. Yet, car dealerships aren’t required to issue safety warnings.”
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Data from 2023 underscores his point: California recorded 4,013 traffic fatalities compared to 3,208 gun-related deaths, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram and The Trace, respectively.
Gottlieb accused California lawmakers of leveraging the new law to discourage gun ownership rather than addressing public safety comprehensively.
“All this proves Gavin Newsom and his Democrat colleagues aren’t really interested in saving lives,” he said. “They’re interested in reducing gun ownership by discouraging people from buying guns and forcing gun dealers to act as their surrogates in the process. It’s really pathetic.”
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