By Miriam Raftery

Image: U.S. Constitution, cc via Bing

June 18, 2023 (Sacramento) – California Governor Gavin  Newsom has proposed a 28^th amendment to reduce gun violence. Newsom says, “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.”

Because Congress lacks enough votes to pass even modest gun reforms,  Newsom has called for a constitutional convention to be convened,as allowed under Article V of the Constitution.  But that’s never been done.  It requires a steep bar:  two-thirds of states must call for a constitutional convention,  amid a currently divided political landscape.

But even some who might support gun reforms may think twice about potential risks to our democracy that a constitutional convention could pose, since the process could open the door to rewriting other aspects of the Constitution that  Americans have long taken for granted as permanent protections for our rights and liberties.