California's top Democrats last week gathered to debut a controversial new effort to allow activists to sue anyone tied to a self-made gun or "assault weapon," with the state's blessing.

As previously reported by Guns.com, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for state lawmakers in December to remold a Texas abortion law into a sweeping gun control machine. The concept would allow individuals to sue manufacturers, distributors, and sellers in the state of certain popular semi-auto firearms deemed "assault weapons" as well as self-manufactured guns labeled as "ghost guns."

Last Friday, Newsom, allied with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and state legislators announced a trio of new gun restrictions including AB 1594, which a rhetoric-enriched press release from the Governor's office outlined "will enable private citizens to hold the gun industry accountable through civil litigation," and "allow individuals and the Attorney General to sue firearm manufacturers and sellers."

The move was quickly championed by national anti-gun groups funded by former Democrat presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, with Everytown calling it "a landmark legislative package to make it easier for Californians to hold the gun industry accountable."

Pro-2A groups, on the other hand, saw the bills-- which besides AB 1594 included measures to clamp down on how firearms are marketed in the state and regulate self-made guns-- in a different light. 

"The State of California continues to seek new lows in its long-running campaign to assault fundamental human rights and the peaceable people who exercise them," said the Firearms Policy Coalition in a statement emailed to Guns.com. "Newsom’s proposed policies are just modern-day Jim Crow laws designed to suppress the exercise of human rights, increase law enforcement encounters, and incarcerate for non-violent crimes the people that the tyrants who run California don’t like. 

"But Newsom and his gang of government thugs can’t stop the signal. It’s clear that Newsom is using the polarizing issue of unconstitutional and immoral gun control to distract from his growing mountain of failing policies and constant political embarrassments. However, if the State enacts these incredibly abusive policies, the Firearms Policy Coalition will not hesitate to act quickly and aggressively to protect the rights and property of gun owners," said the group. 

Banner image: California-compliant Kali-9 by Kalashnikov USA h(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

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