Yesterday, the governor of California signed new gun control legislation modeled after an aggressive legal strategy used in Texas to restrict access to abortions.

Last year, far before the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the nationwide right to an abortion, the Republican-controlled state of Texas approved new legislation permitting citizens to sue anybody who assists in an abortion if a fetal heartbeat is found.

The Texas law permitted persons who filed civil complaints to collect at least $10,000 in "damages" if they prevailed in court (RM44,530).

Officials in the largely Democrat-leaning state of California, with strong support for abortion rights and strict gun control laws, have opted to push for new legislation employing the same contentious legal process.

The measure signed by Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday allows citizens to sue for $10,000 from any person or company that produces, sells, or transports restricted firearms in the state, including assault rifles and so-called "ghost" guns.

At a press conference, State Senator Anthony Portantino clarified that he and his co-authors wrote their legislation with the Texas statute in mind.

"If Texas can use a private right of action to attack women, then we can use one to make California safer," he stated.

Conservative organizations and the nation's influential gun lobby are anticipated to file court challenges to the California bill, which is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2023.

Newsom stated that the Supreme Court of the United States, with its conservative majority of 6-3, "opened the door" to such a move.

"The Supreme Court deemed this acceptable. It was an awful choice. However, these are the regulations they have established," he continued.

Last year, the US Supreme Court declined to stay the implementation of the Texas abortion ban pending the resolution of challenges in lower courts.

Several other Republican-led states have implemented abortion restrictions comparable to those in Texas.

Last month, the Supreme Court's decision expanded the right to carry concealed firearms nationwide.

At the time, Newsom described the judgment as "dangerous" and "reprehensible." According to the Small Arms Survey, there were about 400 million firearms in circulation among the civilian population of the United States in 2017 or 120 firearms for every 100 persons.

According to data gathered by the Gun Violence Archive, over 45,000 persons were killed by firearms in 2020, and over half were suicides.