Is this a return to Wild West bounties?

Revolvers for sale at a gun store in Oceanside on April 12, 2021. REUTERS/Bing Guan
Revolvers for sale at a gun store in Oceanside on April 12, 2021. Photo by Bing Guan, Reuters

Back in the 1800s, the U.S. government offered bounties to stop the Union Army from getting cheated. In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting abortions and dangled $10,000 per violation to anyone who sued to help enforce it.

Not to be outdone, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature passed this new law that allows private citizens to collect $10,000 by suing those who make or sell illegal “ghost guns” or assault-style weapons. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, could throw out the Texas law and ones like it, including California’s. But that would be just fine with the governor and lawmakers.      

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