California Gov. Jerry Brown has taken a page from the playbook of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, blaming violence inside the state on its neighbors’ gun laws. “California has some of the toughest gun-control laws of any state,” he announced. “And Nevada and Arizona are wide open, so that’s a gigantic back door through which any terrorist can walk.”
However, Nevada and Arizona have no connection to the guns used in the San Bernardino terrorist attack, prompting the governors of those states to slam Brown’s explanation. This “blame the neighbors” strategy has been a standby of politicians unable to account for the fact that all of their stringent gun-control laws have not worked to prevent violence. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey described Brown’s statement as “out of bounds,” while Nevada Gov. Mari St. Martin said it was “wrong and irresponsible.”
