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Fresno County, California officials are criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., after he signed multiple gun control bills into law in recent days.
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni and District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp spoke out against Newsom after he signed Senate Bill 2 into law this week, a law which makes it harder for California residents to obtain their concealed carry permits.
Both officials argued that the law doesn’t penalize those who commit the majority of gun crimes – those who have illegally obtained firearms.
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The Fresno County, California sheriff and District Attorney slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., for signing new gun control measures this week. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Once in effect, SB 2 will mandate that all new gun owners will have to undergo 16 hours of training and obtain at least two references to obtain their concealed carry licenses (CCWs). It also further restricts where CCW holders can carry their firearms.
Both Smittcamp and Zanoni told a local outlet they will enforce the law but criticized its utility for preventing gun crime.
According to the local California news site Yourcentralvalley.com, Smittcamp declared, "This law is not going to make people safer. It just isn’t."
She argued that law targets the wrong people: "Less than two percent of the crimes that are committed with guns in the United States are committed by lawful gun owners."
Zanoni agreed with the DA, noting that the people who commit most of the gun crimes won’t be abiding by these restrictions imposed by the governor.
He said, "Criminals will carry their guns wherever, we arrest people on a daily basis who are convicted felons who are gang members, who aren’t supposed to carry guns, but they have them. These are the individuals that need to be targeted by gun laws and more restrictive laws and stronger sentencing guidelines, not CCW holders."
He also noted that those incarcerated for these gun crimes "are being let out of jail, the same day they are arrested."
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The Fresno sheriff's office directed Fox News Digital to a recent press conference with Zanoni, where he declared, "SB 2 is a bill that will restrict the number pf places and how good, law-abiding resident are able to carry their guns with a valid CCW. This law is aimed at reducing violence in the state of California. Unfortunately, as we all know, our CCW are responsible to little, if any violence when it comes to firearms."
In his comments to Yourcentralvalley.com, the sheriff noted that the extended process gun owners will go through to obtain their concealed carry permits will also use up more law enforcement resources. He said, "It is going to take a little bit longer because we are going to have to gather resources, do a little more in-depth investigation."
Smittcamp accused Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, who supported the bill, of confusing citizens on the nature of gun crime. She stated, "They’re really just bamboozling people into thinking that this is the population of people who are committing most of the gun crimes, and that is really where I have most of the problem."
Smittcamp told the outlet that in her entire career as DA she has only seen one concealed carry permit holder charged with homicide, though that individual was never convicted of the crime.
Newsom also signed a law on Tuesday that will double the taxes on guns and ammunition for the state. Where the federal government collects an excise tax of 11 percent on all firearm and ammo purchases, the governor’s new law adds another 11 percent tax to that, meaning that Golden State residents can indirectly pay as much as 22 percent.
Smittcamp's office did not immediately respond to FOX News Digital's request for comment.
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