By Hilda Rico Valdez

California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution enforcing stronger gun safety laws on a national level to reduce gun violence.
“Our ability to make a more perfect union is literally written into the Constitution,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a press conference. “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.”
The proposal includes the following regulations: universal background checks, minimum age of 21 to purchase a firearm, initiate a firearm purchase waiting period, and banning civilians from purchasing assault rifles.
“A man of action, Governor Gavin Newsom has the backbone to actually do something about the gun fetish culture around weapons of war, and tackle the relentless problem of gun violence and mass shootings,” California Senator Aisha Wahab said in a statement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of one person every 11 minutes died by gun death in 2022. Their studies have also shown that guns are now the leading cause of death for adolescents due to school shootings.
More than 356,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since the Columbine shooting in 1999, according to data from the Washington Post.
“I think the amendment is a step in the right direction for reasonable gun reform in this country. The idea that someone who isn’t old enough to vote is able to use a weapon of war is truly shocking,” senior Xara Shaw said.
Many students see the new age minimum as a good step toward limiting school gun violence.
“I do believe this amendment will be beneficial in society because if we raise the age limit there could be a possibility that we could protect more minors,” junior Imogene Mitchell said.
Granada Hills Charter (GHC) students have organized a club known as Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), which is dedicated to empowering students to take an active role in increasing school safety and preventing school violence. The club’s main goal is to modernize the gun control system in America, specifically in California so that campuses can progress into safer and more comfortable learning environments for students.
Club president Ethan Dauz and his club are in full support of Newsom’s new 28th amendment. Dauz believes that this amendment will help limit the wrong type of people getting their hands on a gun.
“Gun violence is a major issue when it comes to adolescents, especially because of mental health which is also why I believe that maintaining universal background checks as part of the new amendment is so important,” Dauz said.
Compared to other states, California has been ranked the number one state for gun safety by the Giffords Law Center. Newsom hopes to bring this safety to the rest of the nation. California’s gun death rate has become the 44th lowest in the nation. However, Newsom believes that gun safety laws always have more room for improvement.
“How many more lives must be lost before we act? In California, with the help of the Legislature, we are providing a path to a safer America,” Governor Newsom said in a statement.