SACRAMENTO, CA – Democratic Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, from California’s 53rd District, has reached out to Governor Gavin Newsom to ask that he suspend all firearm and ammunition sales during the pandemic. In his mind, lawfully purchased guns and ammo somehow make California less safe.

BREAKING – CA Asm. Miguel Santiago (D-53) has drafted a letter to Gov. Newsom demanding the immediate and indefinite suspension of the sale of all guns and ammo in the state of California. Take action NOW at https://t.co/cxk2oLBIUA pic.twitter.com/8WAppPZgVx — Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) April 14, 2020

In a letter dated April 13th, Santiago sent a plea to Governor Newsom alleging that the “panic-buying” of firearms is a recipe for disaster:

“I am writing today to urge you to enact a statewide suspension of firearm and ammunition sales, with an exception for law enforcement and authorized peace officers.”

The assemblyman compared people purchasing copious amounts of toilet paper and medical supplies to that of those buying guns and ammo:

“We see this in the panic-buying of household items, cleaning supplies, personal protective gear, and now, firearms and ammunition.

Firearm and ammunition sales have surged exponentially in the last 30 days with some retailers claiming an increase of 70 percent in the 11 days following Italy’s reported outbreak of COVID-19 cases.”

"Democrat Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, however, has officially requested that the Governor suspend all firearm and ammunition sales, citing the perpetuation of a “cycle of public panic and impulsive action.”https://t.co/SmPxxk4H6f — StarvinLarry (@StarvinLarry) April 15, 2020

While Santiago isn’t lying about California (and other portions of the country) seeing increased firearm sales, it really shouldn’t matter so long as they’re being acquired lawfully. Perhaps people might be getting concerned over instances like inmates being released from jails and prison.

You won’t believe where Santiago went next in his letter to the governor:

“While personal safety is extremely important during these challenging times, so is public safety.”

https://t.co/jL5AKvOFa4: California: Assemblyman Santiago Calls for Halt to Firearm and Ammunition https://t.co/8OQhONXjKo — Smoking Chamber (@SmokingChamber) April 15, 2020

Roughly translated, Santiago thinks that people attaining a means to protect themselves is important, but since it’s scary to him then it shouldn’t happen.

[Editor’s note: Law Enforcement Today reached out to Santiago to discuss his letter to the Governor. Interestingly, when he heard who we were and what we were calling about, he hung up on us rather than defend anything his letter said.

One would think that he would at least feed a prepared statement to people questioning his plea, not treat them like garbage and refuse to give them the time of day. But, hey. That’s the liberal way: Agree with me or you are garbage. And racist, and homophobic, and sexist, etc.]

Santiago’s letter also noted that there are currently 22,424 firearms in the hands of prohibited possessors.

However, the NRA responded to that notion:

“Santiago references the more than 22,000 open cases in California’s Armed and Prohibited Person System. What he fails to mention is that this backlog has been going on for years. In fact, in 2013 the legislature appropriated 24 million dollars under the guise that the backlog could be cleared in a year. That hasn’t happened.”

The NRA was also quick to point out how Santiago is more concerned about lawful gun owners exercising their rights instead of inmates getting released en masse:

“Criminals are being released from prison in record numbers to mitigate spread while law enforcement resources remain diminished. At least Santiago is right about one thing – public safety should be a top priority.”

California Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D) is asking Governor Gavin Newsom (D) to suspend all ammunition sales in the state during the coronavirus shutdown. Moreover, he is asking that all firearm sales be suspended as well. https://t.co/XsabkBva3v — pamela 🇺🇸 🌺🌹💥 (@pamela12632553) April 15, 2020

The assemblyman claimed that more legally purchased firearms are going to put children at risk, as well as possible hate crimes going up. From what Santiago claims, lawfully acquired firearms are an “undue risk”:

“By suspending firearm and ammunition sales and arming Californians with strong safeguards on public health and safety reinforced by state peace officers, we can mitigate undue risks to our public.”

Only in California would people say release inmates early due to safety and not sell guns to lawful buyers for safety.

In Virginia, they’ve been hard at work restricting firearms access.

The arguably worst governor in the country cemented his legacy this past week, as Virginia Governor Ralph Northam celebrated Good Friday by signing five anti-gun laws into effect, and then doubled-down on the outrage by greatly expanding the state’s abortion laws.

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Winning the worst governor in the country is a stiff competition, but Northam won out.

Here is a reminder of how Northam spent his younger years at medical school:

You have to give Northam credit for timing—celebrating the holiday commemorating the death of Jesus Christ—by signing a bill that ensures the deaths of children. Smooth move Northam.

The anti-gun laws are beauties.

Northam had been promising to greatly expand the constitution-skirting gun control laws since last November, when Michael Bloomberg’s billions that fund groups such as Moms Demand Action and Everytown USA was able to flip control of the Virginia legislature to Democrat.

The signing of the anti-gun bills occurred about three months after a massive rally at the state capital in Richmond where more than 20,000 gun owners protested at the state capital over the gun control measures being proposed.

For his part, Northam was unfazed by the protests, and on Friday did a victory lap after signing the legislation into law.

“We lose too many Virginians to gun violence, and it is past time we took bold, meaningful action to make our communities safer,” Northam said in a statement.

“I was proud to work with legislators and advocates on these measures and I am proud to sign them into law. These common-sense laws will save lives.”

Yeah, ok Northam…because we know, criminals obey the law…otherwise they wouldn’t be criminals, right?

NEW: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed into law five of the seven gun reforms that passed the Democrat-led General Assembly, including a red flag law and expanded background checks.https://t.co/X2fxejRgok — The Trace (@teamtrace) April 10, 2020

So, let’s go through and see what kind of second-amendment gutting Northam and the cowards in the Virginia legislature have passed.

According to The Blaze, the bills that went into effect were a “red flag” bill, an expansion of background checks, and limiting handgun purchases to no more than one handgun purchase in a one-month period, which is designed “to help curtail stockpiling of firearms and trafficking.”

That last one is good because, when Joe Shit the dirtbag goes to the gun store to purchase his handgun, he can only get one per month because we all know that criminals buy their guns at gun stores.

Also, Virginia citizens will now face a civil penalty if they fail to report a lost or stolen firearm to a law enforcement agency within 48 hours, and also will face a criminal charge for leaving a “loaded, unsecured firearm in such a manner as to endanger” a child younger than 14.

Other measures signed by Northam on Friday include universal background checks, prohibiting anyone subject to a restraining order from possessing firearms, and allowing localities to set their own rules on the presence of firearms in public.

According to Fox News, Northam told gun control activists during a conference call Friday:

“This is an exciting day for me. It was time to have our legislators come to Richmond and to take votes and pass laws, and that’s exactly what they did this year.”

In addition to Northam, the Democratic Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn was also patting herself and the legislature on the back on Friday, saying in a statement:

“In November Virginians called out loud and clear for meaningful legislation to address gun violence in the Commonwealth. They demanded action and we delivered.”

“Year after year, Republican majorities killed these bills,” Filler-Corn said. “In last year’s legislative elections in Virginia, we made a promise to voters that once in the majority, Democrats would quickly pass gun violence prevention measures.”

Last November, Virginia voters gave their leaders a mandate to pass safer gun laws. This session, those lawmakers delivered. Year after year, we campaigned, voted, lobbied, and today @GovernorVA officially signed historic gun safety legislation into law. https://t.co/Y3fWZj1pS9 — Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) April 10, 2020

Northam didn’t get everything he was looking for in the legislature, however. In February, a push to ban so-called assault weapons (you know, the scary-looking black guns) failed, when moderate Democrats joined Republicans in shutting down the initiative in a senate committee following protests from gun owners.

However, Northam has said that he will take up the ban again next year, while acknowledging that he “came up short” on that goal, according to ABC News. “I will not stop,” he said.

“We can’t stop here,” he said. We need to keep working on this issue. It will be year after year,” Northam said on a press call.

Not happy with only gutting the Second Amendment, Northam also signed pro-abortion bills on Good Friday which repealed “medically-unnecessary restrictions” on abortion.

The Daily Caller reported that Northam signed both the House and Senate bills sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Jennifer McClellan and Democratic State Rep. Charniele Herring on Friday, as reported by WSLS.

Good to know that Governor Blackface von Klanhood is hard at work fighting coronavirus. Virginia Governor Announces Signing of Extreme Abortion Bill on Good Friday https://t.co/4bZ7AxwC7h — Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) April 11, 2020

“No more will legislators in Richmond—most of whom are men—be telling women what they should and should not be doing with their bodies,” Northam said, according to WCYB.

“The Reproductive Health Protection Act will make women and families safer, and I’m proud to sign it into law.”

“This is about protecting Virginians’ health, rights and basic dignity,” McClellan said, WCYB said. “Today we have finally put an end to these medically unnecessary barriers to women’s reproductive health care. Politicians should not interfere in women’s personal medical decisions, period.”

The companion bills, SB733 and HB980, nearly identical bills expands the list of people permitted to perform first trimester abort ions by allowing any person who is jointly licensed as a nurse practitioner by the Board of Medicine and Nursing to perform first trimester abortions.

Governor Northam’s so-called Reproductive Health Protection Act has nothing to do with health or keeping women safe. It’s simply another step from a pro-abortion governor seeking to make abortion as widespread as possible in Virginia. https://t.co/QLM6TE0baB — March for Life (@March_for_Life) April 11, 2020

In addition, the bill also eliminates the need for a woman to see an ultrasound of the unborn child prior to obtaining an abortion.

Also, previously, facilities that performed five or more first trimester abortions per month were classified as hospitals, which required them to comply with minimum regulations that establish minimum standards for hospitals. The bill removes that language.

The President and CEO of Americans United for Life, Catherine Glenn Foster bemoaned the passage of the new abortion laws in a statement. She emphasized that Northam “should have been removed from office” in 2019 following his infanticide comments, as well as his “racially insensitive actions.”

“Since neither his indifference towards the lives of newly born infants nor towards his fellow, minority citizens were enough to make Governor Northam make the decent choice to leave office, we are now left with the devastating outcome that he has signed Virginia’s so-called ‘Reproductive Health Protections Act’—a fallacious name in every conceivable way since it only seeks to put women in more anger as it destroys community’s protections,” Foster said.

“This is a horribly destructive bill that will undermine the role of law to protect and guide,” Foster said.

“This bill lowers the basic, common sense health and safety standards that abortion facilities must meet, degrades women’s care, and will result in unsafe abortionists operating with even more impunity.”

Foster also in particular spoke out against the repeal of the ultrasound requirement, which she called the most “heartbreaking part” of the bills and which she also referred to as “lifesaving.”

“When I went in for my abortion, scared and only 19 years old, I was denied the option to see the ultrasound of my baby,” she said. “I asked, but the abortion worker said no. Now, women all over the commonwealth of Virginia will be denied that basic right as well. It would have changed the course of my life. Women deserve better.”

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