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Gavin Newsom drags Kristi Noem over 'gun death' claim in online numbers war, but one Internet user wins the day

Kristi Noem’s open invitation to gun makers came in response to California Governor Newsom signing a new law to double taxes on guns and ammunition

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gavin Newsom was brutally fact-checked online after he took a dig at Kristi Noem for inviting California gunmakers and owners to South Dakota.

The 51-year-old South Dakota governor took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, to encourage the Golden State gun makers to "make the move" to her state in order to escape Newsom’s new gun and ammunition tax.

“While California Gov. Newsom infringes on the 2nd Amendment, South Dakota respects our God-given rights. Our firearms industry is thriving!” she wrote.

“If you’re a CA gun manufacturer or law-abiding gun owner, @SDGOED is ready to help you make the move for Freedom,” Noem stated in a tweet.

The governor has been on an active marketing push for workers to come to South Dakota for jobs.

Why is Kristi Noem inviting gun-makers to South Dakota?

Kristi Noem’s open invitation to gun makers came in response to Gavin Newsom signing a new law to double taxes on guns and ammunition, making California the only state to have a special tax on gun purchases.

The new law, AB28, is adding an 11% excise tax on top of the federal government's excise taxes of around 10%.

Newsom signed the bill on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, stating that he plans to use the tax revenue to improve security measures at public schools and strengthen a variety of gun violence prevention programs, including those geared toward young people in gangs.

The California Democrat also signed a law limiting where concealed weapons can be carried in public, which is an overhaul of the state's rules for carrying concealed weapons

However, in comparison to California, South Dakota’s firearm industry has a much bigger impact on the total economy.

Noem’s state has the second-highest number of registered weapons per 100,000 residents, which is seven times higher than that of the Golden State, according to News.SD.Gov.

South Dakota’s concentration of employment in the firearms industry is also 77% higher than the national average and 177% higher than California’s.

How Gavin Newsom reacted to Kristi Noem’s invitation

The 55-year-old California governor reacted to Noem’s invitation with several statistics concerning gun violence in two states. “South Dakota has a 59% higher gun death rate than California,” he tweeted.

However, Newsom’s movie fell flat after a Twitter user presented some other shocking stats. The user stated that in 2021, South Dakota faced 128 gun deaths and 45 homicides with a population of 895,376.

Meanwhile, California saw 3,576 gun deaths and 2,495 homicides with a population of 39,240,000 in that same year.

“Well, you are technically right, Governor, gun deaths per capita are higher in South Dakota. However, most of those deaths are accidents or suicide. Meanwhile, your state HEAVILY outmatches SD in Homicides per capita. Maybe you should deal with your crime problem,” the user continued.

Some other users also echoed the same feelings as one said, “You are 1000 times safer in SD.” “You have the highest crime rate and homeless rate compared to any small state,” a second user said.

“The gun homicide rate is more than two times higher in California than South Dakota,” one wrote, while another commented, “Wow! How can you lie like that? You're a governor Mr Moonbeam.”

“California has more mass shootings than any state in the US,” one more agreed.