'Gun Possession' Becomes a Hot Issue... Lawsuit Filed After US Bans Gun Ads Targeting Minors

Multiple Gun Incidents Occur in the US This Year
Heated Debate Following Former Prime Minister Abe's Shooting

Two days after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas, USA, on May 26 (local time), protesters gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC, urging Democratic senators to strengthen gun control measures. On May 24, a mass shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 19 students and 2 teachers. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] Following the recent assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by gunfire, sparking heated global debates over gun ownership, a U.S. gun organization has filed a lawsuit against the state of California, which banned gun advertisements targeting minors.

According to major foreign media on the 8th (local time), gun magazine Junior Shooters and the nonprofit organization Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed a lawsuit claiming that California's law prohibiting gun advertisements aimed at minors violates the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression.

The law challenged by these groups prohibits gun industry workers from producing advertisements for gun-related products that are reasonably likely to appeal to minors or are designed and intended to appear attractive to minors.

It also bans the use, disclosure, or editing of minors' personal information for the purpose of selling or advertising firearms to minors.

California enacted this law on the 23rd of last month, just one week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that under the Second Amendment, individuals have the right to carry handguns in public places for self-defense.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the law on the 30th of last month, stating, "As the Supreme Court has withdrawn important safeguards for gun safety, new legislation is necessary."

Foreign media reported that following a mass shooting in Texas in May that killed 19 elementary school students and 2 teachers, and another incident on July 4th during Independence Day celebrations that claimed 7 lives, calls for new gun control laws are increasing.

On the 8th, concerns over firearms intensified further when former Prime Minister Abe was shot and killed on the street during an election campaign. Japan is known as one of the countries with strict gun control regulations. The Associated Press reported, "This (former Prime Minister Abe) shooting incident is shocking as it occurred in one of the safest countries in the world with very strong legal regulations on firearms (Japan)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.