while congress shamefully fails to face up to the toll of gun carnage, california<u+2019>s lawmakers and voters are forging ahead with innovative safety measures, including mandatory background checks for the purchase of ammunition, not just guns. the focus on ammunition sales, for which there are no federal controls, is a creative addition to proposition 63 , a ballot initiative that polls indicate should pass on tuesday. it is being watched as a barometer of the re-emergence of gun controls as a national issue, exemplified by hillary clinton<u+2019>s proposals for stronger laws after years of democratic wariness at tackling the problem. in contrast, donald trump has the endorsement of the national rifle association and smugly echoes its destructive campaign to arm more and more citizens. three other states will offer voter initiatives on gun safety, as citizen movements try to circumvent the gun lobby<u+2019>s intimidation of state legislators. in maine and nevada , voters will consider tighter background checks on gun sales. voters in washington s tate will decide whether judges should have the power to seize the weapons of people deemed threats to public safety and family members. the california proposition <u+2014> tailored to deal with the use of military-style assault weapons <u+2014> includes a ban on high-capacity magazines holding more than 10 cartridges. the initiative would also stem the flow of firearms by requiring law enforcement to confiscate the weapons of newly convicted felons, and by applying penalties against owners who fail to report stolen or missing guns, which often disappear into the black market. ammunition controls drew attention in recent years after high-capacity magazines were used in the mass shootings at a movie theater in aurora, colo., and a school in newtown, conn. varying requirements for ammunition background checks are now in effect in new york, connecticut, illinois, massachusetts and new jersey. more states should consider this promising approach to reducing gun mayhem. the california proposition is a stronger version of an ammunition background check enacted earlier this year by the democratic majority in the california legislature. a raft of gun-safety laws in the state were prompted by the massacre in san bernardino that left 14 people dead and more than a score wounded. far from ducking the issue, two democrats <u+2014> lt. gov. gavin newsom and kevin de le<u+00f3>n, the senate leader <u+2014> have been competing for the gun-safety spotlight. this is a marked reversal from 30 years ago, when the democrats<u+2019> loss of the governorship was attributed to republican attacks on proposed handgun controls. in another reversal, the gun lobby retreated from seriously fighting this year<u+2019>s initiative, and a counterproposal failed to gather enough petition signatures from gun rights supporters. if the measures in california and other states do well on tuesday, that may be a sign that the national tide has truly shifted. and it may encourage congress to move forward on the federal laws needed to combat a public health disaster that takes more than 30,000 lives a year. follow the new york times opinion section on facebook and twitter (@nytopinion) , and sign up for the opinion today newsletter . a version of this editorial appears in print on november 5, 2016, on page a18 of the new york edition with the headline: the revival of gun controls out west. today's paper | subscribe
the revival of gun controls out west
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