The mass shooting in Las Vegas, NV made me, like many of you, take a look at what the Democratic Party had to say about gun control in their 2016 party platform:
To build on the success of the lifesaving Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, we will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws; repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war—such as assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (LCAM's)—off our streets.
This is insufficient. And what makes me angry is that it appears to be insufficient by design. These are the mildest possible restrictions. Note the soft selling of any possible attempt to reinstate the assault weapons ban. This is triangulation at its worst.
The Democratic Party needs to reclaim the moral high ground on gun control. This would include sponsoring measures which:
- Reinstate the assault weapon ban
- Ban all handguns
- Limit the number of guns an individual may own (2-3)
- Limit the amount of ammunition an individual may own
- Get rid of concealed and open carry
- Tax the holy hell out of all gun sales
You want to hunt and go target shooting? Great. Get yourself a Winchester Model 70 or some other bolt-action rifle and get yourself a deer. Want to protect your home? Buy yourself a Winchester Model 37 single-shot break-action shotgun (BTW: You’re more likely to kill a family member than an intruder).
If the gun-humpers and their “Originalist” stooges on the high court are going to interpret the second amendment in ways which preclude any meaningful gun control then it’s time to amend the constitution. Our national lack of resolve to pass significant gun control in the wake of tragedy after tragedy is truly shameful.