You Will Shoot Your Eye Out

“Our ability to make a more perfect union is literally written into the Constitution,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “So today, I’m proposing the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution to do just that. The 28th Amendment will enshrine in the Constitution common sense gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and gun owners overwhelmingly support – while leaving the 2nd Amendment unchanged and respecting America’s gun-owning tradition.”

All it requires is one teensy little amendment to the Constitution that would neither “leave the 2nd Amendment unchanged” nor “respect America’s gun-owning tradition” as Newsom claims because Newsom hates your rights and is also a known liar.

Newsom’s 28th Amendment, if adopted, would raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21; mandate universal background checks; institute a “reasonable” waiting period for all purchases; and ban so-called assault weapons. In addition, it would authorize Congress, state governments, and even local governments to impose even stricter measures. Under the 28th Amendment, I guess Sacramento could legalize a state Gestapo to take every California resident’s guns away and that would be totally kosher.

What’s reasonable? I suppose that’s up to the courts to decide. What’s an assault weapon? State governments have tried again and again to define it, and sometimes comically failed.

So the 2nd Amendment would still be there in the Constitution. But like the 18th Amendment outlawing the sale, production, or transportation of alcohol was superseded by the 21st, ending Prohibition, the 2nd would be completely gutted by Gavin’s 28th.

What I’ve been unable to find — even on Newsom’s official release announcement — is the actual text of the amendment. It could be even worse than Newsom describes it. Since the text seems to be nowhere to be found, I’m forced to conclude it is far worse than even Newsom describes it.

Amending the Constitution, fortunately, is easier said than done. It requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the states. Amendments can also be proposed and adopted by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures — something that has never happened in our country’s history.

Only 27 amendments have ever been adopted, the first ten — the Bill of Rights — as a package deal. So, really, the amendment process has only taken place 18 times.

The Framers’ wisdom puts Newsom’s proposal, which is a non-starter in every red state, at a serious disadvantage. Liberty lovers can breathe easy at Newsom’s conspicuous posturing to Democrat primary voters… but remain ever-vigilant against the next attempt.