Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom ran full-page ads Friday in major Texas newspapers criticizing Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and promoting new gun-control legislation he signed that day.
Newsom’s advertisements appeared in Friday editions of the Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle, and the El Paso Times, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The advertisement, according to a copy shared by Newsom on Twitter, is based on words Abbott said when signing SB-8, which prohibits abortions as early as six weeks post-conception in the state.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 22, 2022
“Our creator endowed us with the right to life. And yet… children lose their right to life every year because of abortion. In Texas, we work to save those lives,” Abbott’s original quote stated.
Newsom’s advertisement tweaks Abbott’s words by striking out and replacing “abortion” with “gun violence” and “Texas” with “California,” reading:
“Our creator endowed us with the right to life. And yet… children lose their right to life every year because of gun violence. In California, we work to save those lives.”
Texas is a state where former California residents and businesses migrate to in search of better economic policies, lower taxes and the ease of doing business.
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Newsom’s moves have led some to speculate that the 54-year-old Democrat might have ambitions to run for president.
“Texans will wake up this morning to this simple message,” Newsom said of his advertisement on Twitter.
“If Texas can ban abortion and endanger lives, California can ban deadly weapons of war and save lives.”
“If [Abbott] truly wants to protect the right to life, he should follow California’s lead,” Newsom said.
Later Friday, Newsom signed a new gun-control law modeled after Texas’ abortion law, The Associated Press reported.
The law permits anyone to bring a lawsuit against those who distribute illegal weapons, parts to build weapons, guns that lack serial numbers, or rifles with a caliber of .50, the news service reported.
“It’s time to put them on the defense. You cannot sell, you cannot manufacture, you cannot transfer these illegal weapons of war and mass destruction in the state of California,” Newsom said when signing the bill.
“And if you do, there are 40 million people that can collect $10,000 from you, and attorney fees, for engaging in that illegal activity.”
