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OPINION (WASHINGTON FREE BEACON) – Claim: Stricter national gun laws would have prevented a string of mass shootings in California.
Who said it: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), the Washington Post.
Why it matters: California has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and leaders who like to export their policies to the rest of the country. Newsom and congressional Democrats have spent the past week arguing that state laws won’t deter mass shooters unless the federal government steps up with its own restrictions.
Context: Americans are rattled by three consecutive mass shootings that killed 18 people in California over the course of three days in January. The first shooter used an illegal assault rifle featuring a prohibited silencer and 30-round magazine. The second shooter’s gun was registered legally but also had a 30-round magazine that is barred in California. Police have not identified the weapon used in the third shooting, but they believe it was likely the result of a gang fight.
Analysis: There is no evidence that stricter national gun laws would have prevented these shootings. All three either involved already-banned weapons, or were the result of gang-related criminal activity. A Department of Justice study from 2016 found that 43 percent of criminals bought their guns through the black market, compared with the 10 percent who went to retailers.
