“Honestly, I was more disappointed than I expected,” Newsom told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow after the event.
But one moment seemed to make his blood boil: when former Vice President Mike Pence said his solution to mass shootings was expedited executions for the shooters.
“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic,” Newsom said. “He’s been saying that for months. I cringe every time I hear it.”
Newsom said most mass shooters expect this to happen during the shooting.
“What a joke, that’s kind of off-putting,” he said. “The number one cause of death for our children is guns, and that was a solution tonight, that was a debate for the next president of the United States about how to deal with mass shootings?” I don’t want to talk about a disqualification. But frankly, pathetic for a former vice president.”
Newsom has been vocal about the need for stricter gun control and just signed a law in California that imposes an 11 percent tax on the sale of guns and ammunition in the state.
While the federal government also taxes guns and ammunition, California is the first state to impose its own tax.
Watch his full discussion with Maddow below: