California’s largest law enforcement union, The California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), has stepped forward to add their collective voice in opposition to Gavin Newsom’s ammunition proposal. In an open letter to the citizens of California, CCPOA President Chuck Alexander says that the organization “vehemently opposes” Newsom’s proposal, which “lessens our ability to protect ourselves and the public.”

Newsom was not in Sacramento last week for the first public hearing on his proposal, however representatives from several California’s law enforcement organizations were in attendance to voice their opposition to his “Safety for All” initiative dubbed “ammo control”.

The CCPOA is the latest law enforcement organization to stand against Newsom’s proposal. The nine organizations represent thousands of officers, prosecutors, sheriffs and other officials on the frontline of public safety. Groups opposing Newsom’s proposal so far include:

• Association of Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles
• California Correctional Peace Officers Association
• California Fish and Game Wardens’ Association
• California Reserve Peace Officers Association
• California State Sheriffs’ Association
• Law Enforcement Action Network
• Law Enforcement Alliance of America
• San Francisco Veteran Police Officer Association
• Western States Sheriffs Association

“It’s telling that California’s law enforcement experts are overwhelmingly critical of Newsom’s proposal,” said Chuck Michel, a co-chair of the Coalition for Civil Liberties, a diverse group of Californians opposed to Newsom’s ballot initiative. “They’re the ones risking their lives every day and have a unique vantage point on what it takes to keep our streets safe. We should be listening to them, not politicians out to promote their own personal interest.”

Newsom told the Los Angeles Times his proposed “Safety for All As of 2016” initiative has already gathered 600,000 signatures from California residents, twice as many needed to be included on the November ballot. He added that what the initiative proposals have in common is “that over the past number of years they have suffered the fate of either being watered down or rejected by the Legislature.”

In a YouTube video, Cory Salzillo, Director of Legislative Affairs for the State Sheriffs Association, spoke out against Gavin Newsom’s ill-conceived “Safety For All” initiative, saying Newsom’s measure would create a new criminal class out of law abiding, legal gun owners while doing nothing to deny access to firearms for violent criminals.