Lt. Gov. Newsom backed state gun-control initiative qualifies for November ballot

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The House Democrats' 25-hour sit-in calling for a vote on a gun control bill, attracted international media attention to the issue and the impasse in Congress over what to do in the wake of mass shootings, including the most recent that claimed 49 innocent lives in Orlando. 

"I couldn't be more proud of Congress and the sit-in yesterday,” said California's Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom. “But at the same time, I'm frustrated because at the end of the day, it didn't manifest in any action...yet."

Newsom said he wants to see change on the state level. On Thursday, his gun initiative called ‘Safety for All’ was approved to go before California voters on the November ballot.

The initiative includes the following provisions:

**Mandatory vendor licensing and background checks for purchase of ammunition

**Requiring people to report lost or stolen guns and ammunition

**A ban on large capacity, military-style magazines

**Linking California's database with the federal system’s

**Creating a system to confiscate firearms from people who are convicted felons and others not allowed to possess guns

Newsom said that there is a need for a ban on large capacity magazines.

"You can't legally manufacture them or sell them in California, but strangely you can legally possess them with four exceptions; Oakland, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles. So you have a patchwork right now," he said. "Right now there's no protocol. You're convicted, you're no longer legally allowed to own that gun, but you come back home and there's no process to actually get that gun."

Peter Buxtun a lifetime National Rifle Association member said there's nothing to celebrate in Newsom's initiative.

"This is a stepladder for him to rise up in politics," said Buxtun, who added that he's concerned that the initiative would be costly.

"Ask a judge how overburdened our courts are. How we have unfunded liabilities that are already law, things that are supposed to be done and the courts can't get them done," Buxtun said.

Buxtun also said the ammunition checks and other provisions would not be effective in stopping criminals.

"If you raise the price by making it scarce, by making it illegal, you will get a black market," he said.

Newsom said any additional costs would be covered by fees from ammunition vendor licensing and background checks.