Governor Newsom proposes 28th Amendment to U.S. Constitution to end gun violence

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION-TV)- Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday a proposition to amend the United States Constitution and help solve America's gun violence crisis.

The proposed 28th amendment would do four things:

• Raise the federal minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21
• Mandate universal background checks to prevent more people from purchasing a gun
• Institute a waiting period for all gun purchases
• Ban civilian purchase of assault weapons "that serve no other purpose than to kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time – weapons of war our nation’s founders never foresaw."

Our ability to make a more perfect union is literally written into the Constitution,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “So today, I’m proposing the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution to do just that. The 28th Amendment will enshrine in the Constitution common sense gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and gun owners overwhelmingly support – while leaving the 2nd Amendment unchanged and respecting America’s gun-owning tradition.”

Newsom says the 28th amendment would also pave the way for Congress, states, and local governments to enact further common sense gun safety laws. This will also keep the 2nd amendment intact, says Newsom.

Gun violence claims over 110 American lives a day and 43,375 lives a year.