California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom recently claimed a reasonable stance on firearms which did not quite square with his lengthy track record of backing gun restrictions in the Golden State.

In an interview with podcast host Shawn Ryan, Newsom declared he is “not anti-gun at all” after receiving a California-compliant SIG Sauer P365 X-Macro.

Newsom voiced opposition to “large-capacity magazine clips” and what he called “weapons of war” while noting that he is “sometimes” against “out-gunning” police forces.

Since taking office in 2019, Newsom has nevertheless put his signature on roughly seventy laws that tightened firearms regulations across California.

Last year, he championed legislation that slapped an 11% tax on guns and ammo sales. The revenue was earmarked for school safety and violence prevention programs.

Back in 2005, as Mayor of San Francisco, Newsom threw his weight behind Proposition H, a measure seeking to ban handgun possession, manufacturing, and sales within city limits. The courts later struck the measure down.

While serving as Lieutenant Governor in 2016, he spearheaded Proposition 63, which mandated background checks for ammunition purchases and outlawed high-capacity magazines.

Newsom also signed Senate Bill 1327, a law enabling private citizens to sue distributors of illegal firearms and components, mirroring Texas abortion legislation he had previously criticized.