After gun-related tragedies like the one in Las Vegas, Republican presidents usually start to cave on passing new gun control laws or bans. In essence they say, “OK, I didn’t want new gun laws before. But now that this horrific thing has happened, I’m open to discussion.” And in the end they usually cave, which Republicans are great at doing. How do you think we got President Trump? Republicans got fed up with decades of “me too” Republicans.
I’m concerned President Trump may be doing the same, although it’s too soon to tell. After relentless badgering by reporters regarding when is he going to change gun laws, Mr. Trump stated, “Look, we have a tragedy … and we’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes on.” You could read this as wavering on the support for the Second Amendment he previously exhibited (1) through the presidential campaign and, (2) with his first appointment to the Supreme Court earlier this year. Here’s hoping I’m mistaken.
You can’t blame proponents of gun control and gun bans from holding Republican presidents in contempt when they back down on the subject. Because when they do so they’re essentially saying, “I won’t cave on gun bans until or unless innocent people die in a public slaughter.” It’s hard to imagine a more unprincipled and disgusting stance. If you really think gun control and gun bans are the answer, then why not get it done before there’s a bloodbath, right?
Of course, anyone who’s rational and gives even five minutes of thought to the subject realizes that government cannot possibly prevent such tragedies by disarming the innocent. Because that’s all that gun bans or laws can do. People like the Las Vegas shooter – and whoever else might or might not have been involved with him – don’t care about the law.
It’s already illegal to stockpile a small arsenal of weapons in a hotel room, and the real question here is how the killer could get away with that, along with who might have aided him. Instead, preening politicians and media figures only care about making it look like they’re concerned and “doing something” about the problem. Taking guns away from law-abiding citizens who want to defend themselves in their homes, or even in public against terrorizing killers that seem to be growing in number by the day, will not do a damn thing to make anyone safer.
Careful, President Trump. The advocates of gun control don’t care anything about preventing crime. Guns and crime are not their concern. Control is. You negotiate with such tyrants at your peril.
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