California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was responding to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) after the GOP leader criticized his proposal for a 28th Amendment to combat gun violence.
McCarthy criticized Newsom’s proposal to raise the minimum age for gun purchases to 21, conduct universal background checks, introduce a “reasonable waiting period” for gun purchases, and ban civilians from buying assault weapons.
“Hey Governor Newsom, the 2nd amendment already exists – we don’t need a 28th,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “But what we need is for presidential candidates to stop imposing their extreme positions nationwide.”
In response to McCarthy’s criticism, Newsom slammed the House Speaker for “doing nothing about crime” in his hometown of Bakersfield, California.
“Hey Kevin, what we need is for you to acknowledge that you represent a county with the highest homicide rate in our state — and not do anything about it,” Newsom wrote.
Bakersfield’s 2021 homicide rate is more than double that of cities like New York and San Francisco. The Daily Beast reported.
So far in 2023 there have been 280 mass shootings and 18,649 deaths from gun violence. according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Newsom has criticized McCarthy in the past for his unwavering support of guns amid rising violence.
McCarthy declined to answer questions as he walked through the Capitol after the March school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee that killed six people, including three children.
“Coward,” Newsom said at the time.