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