Gavin Newsom: "Trump-Proofing" California Means Gutting Gun Rights

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is doing his very best to penalize law-abiding citizens and “Trump-proof” the Golden State before president-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, starting with gun rights.

Since Trump's victory in November, Newsom has launched a flurry of "progressive" policies and hinted at future lawsuits meant to restrict Californians' Second Amendment rights from the gun-friendly Trump administration. Like California-based Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom supports strict gun control measures, including red flag laws, AR-15 bans, and universal background checks.

Already the Democrat governor has signed 24 gun bills into law that will create an office of “gun violence” prevention, establish red flag laws, and limit carry areas, while also creating numerous limitations for gun owners to exercise their constitutional rights. “In the absence of congressional action," he said, "our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws.”

"My job is not to wake up every single day and get a crowbar and try to put it in the spokes of the wheel of the Trump administration," Newsom said in a virtual press conference on November 8. "That said, I'm not naive either, and we're pragmatic and we will stand firm."

Newsom's proactive efforts to "Trump-proof" California come as no surprise, given that he filed over 100 lawsuits against Trump during his first term. While gun control will remain a key focus, Newsom is also prioritizing initiatives addressing climate change, abortion rights, and LGBTQ+ protections, all hallmarks of a “progressive” agenda.

Alongside preventative policies, Newsom and leftist California Attorney General Rob Bonta called for a special legislative session on December 3 to challenge the new president. Newsom and Bonta say they are ready to "safeguard California values and fundamental rights."

Yet that flies in the face of the nation's rapid shift away from gun control and towards protections for the Second Amendment.

(RELATED: Despite Spending Millions, Gun Control Groups Lost Big in 2024)

Running in the Wrong Direction

California is no doubt a “progressive” safe haven, but over the last few years, residents have slowly begun to wake up to the madness.

In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump won 38 percent of California voters, climbing 6 percentage points over his 2020 performance. At the same time, Californians voted down radical pro-crime policies that allow criminals to run free after committing serious and repetitive criminal violations by passing Proposition 36, 70 to 29 percent.  The measure was a bipartisan effort backed by the Republican Party of California, San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D), and Californians for Safer Communities.

The law will now reclassify drug charges as treatment-mandated felonies, increase penalties for certain drug crimes by increasing sentence lengths, require courts to warn individuals convicted of distributing illegal drugs of their potential future criminal liability if they distribute deadly drugs, and increases sentences for theft based on the value of the property stolen.

Proposition 36 successfully reversed several of the pro-criminal policies of the 2014 Proposition 47.

To no surprise, Gov. Newsom opposed the common sense reforms. "Prop. 36 takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration, it promotes a promise that can't be delivered,” he said,

Leftist groups spent $6.10 million in contributions through October 19 to block the measure, and the supporting PACs reported over $13.66 million in contributions.

Newsom and his leftist cronies are doing their best to prevent Trump from restoring freedom to the people, but if the 2024 election told us anything—it’s that Californians are tired of “progressive” policies that put America last.

(READ MORE: Leftist Groups Spent $6 Million Fighting Tough-on-Crime Measures—and Lost)