Updated 4:15 p.m. Thursday
Amid a growing national debate over gun control and gun rights, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a 2016 ballot initiative that would ask voters to strengthen the state's firearms laws.
Newsom's proposal comes just two weeks after a gunman killed nine people at a Roseburg, Oregon, community college, the latest in a long series of mass shootings that have prompted calls for action from President Obama and others.
"This is about taking responsibility," Newsom said in an interview after a Financial District press conference to announce his initiative. "... All of this has happened on our watch -- 150 school shootings since [the 2012 Newtown school massacre]. More preschoolers that have been shot -- literally preschoolers -- than police officers in the line of duty. I mean, it's just an abomination."
Newsom's proposal calls for background checks on all ammunition purchases, certification of all ammunition sellers, the surrender of large-capacity assault-style magazines and new requirements for reporting lost or stolen guns. The proposal also calls for state officials to set up a clear process to make felons who are not allowed to have guns turn in their weapons.