The Texas abortion law currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court was always a problematic attempt to clamp down on abortion. It’s enforcement mechanism – outsourcing enforcement of the law to private entities and individuals rather than state officials, seemed to offer a blueprint for other states to use similar means to enforce their preferred policies.

And that’s exactly what California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced over the weekend:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he wants to create a path for private citizens to sue gun manufacturers, sellers and distributors in the state, modeling his proposal after the legal framework used in the Texas law that bans abortions past six weeks.

On the heels of Friday’s Supreme Court ruling allowing the Texas law to remain in effect for now, Mr. Newsom said he would work with the Democratic-dominated Legislature and Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, to draft a proposal.

The bill would allow private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, sells or distributes assault weapons or ghost gun kits or parts in the state for at least $10,000 per violation.

The state of Texas had used a similar mechanism in an attempt to insulate its abortion ban from legal review, assigning enforcement authority to private civil litigants instead of public officials.

While this can be dismissed as a gimmick, grandstanding, obviously unconstitutional, etc., it was also entirely predictable.

So was this development:

As the Supreme Court weighs protections for abortion, Mr. Newsom and other state leaders have said they want to make California a sanctuary for women from out of state who are seeking to end their pregnancies, which could include paying for abortions and other related costs.

It’s in line with other states and localities that have said they will not enforce certain gun laws, or act as gun sanctuaries, or still others which have said they will not enforce certain immigration laws or co-operate with enforcement agencies. We are either in a new age of states flexing their federalism muscles, or a bizarre clown show of state politicians trolling for attention.