Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have outlawed manufacturing, selling, or operating robotic devices equipped with weapons.
The legislation flew through the California Senate and Assembly without a single “no” vote, but faced last-minute opposition from police groups because it didn’t include an exception for law enforcement.
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In his veto statement, Newsom said he thinks police should be allowed to use armed robots to “deploy less-lethal force” toward armed or barricaded suspects.
ACLU California Action slammed the veto, accusing Newsom of giving into “the whims of the police lobby and the profits of weapons manufacturers."
“Police are meant to serve and protect the public, not wage war against them. AB 2681 garnered bipartisan support in both the California Senate and Assembly, as Republicans and Democrats alike agree that deploying killer police robots on domestic soil is a step too far,” the organization’s legislative attorney George Parampathu said in a statement.
Assemblymember Akilah Weber, who authored the bill, told the Sacramento Bee she was “extremely disappointed” in the veto and said she would reintroduce the legislation next year.
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