House Republicans Choose Carrot Over Stick in Gun Safety Debate – Opinion

Here’s an interesting one for you. Elise Stefanik (Republican Chair in House Republican Conference) has introduced a proposal to increase gun safety following two mass shootings over three weeks. The lawmaker is proposing a reward system that rewards positive gun behavior, unlike her Democratic colleagues.

Stefanik’s approach involves using the carrot rather than the Democrats’ stick, when it comes to reducing gun violence. She, along with Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Carol Miller (R-WV), is set to introduce the “Firearm Proficiency and Training Act” in response to the Democrats’ bid to further restrict law-abiding gun owners.

The representatives argue that their bill would encourage better “training, safety, and storage” of guns, instead of “forcing” them to take the steps Democrats seek to compel through the state. “As Democrats rush to push their radical gun control agenda, I am proud to lead the charge in introducing legislation to promote gun training and safety,” Stefanik said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

She went on:

“This bill will empower gun owners by incentivizing them to purchase gun safety and storage equipment as well as training and safety courses. Congress should enable all Americans to safely exercise their Second Amendment rights, rather than infringe upon the Constitutional rights of law-abiding American citizens.”

Fox News reported:

Americans would be eligible for tax deductions when they take concealed firearms or gun safety classes. For each tax deduction, the maximum amount would not exceed $250

In addition, the text of the bill states that “no taxpayer shall be required, as a condition of any deduction allowed under this section, to provide any information with respect to any firearms owned by the taxpayer” and no government official may keep any record of the deduction after three years.

The measure is unlikely to pass in the lower chamber, which is dominated by Democrats. Rep. Liz Cheney has less chance than Rep. Trump of being able to go more than one hour without complaining about Trump’s horrible behavior. Still, it is an interesting proposal, one that would likely be acceptable to conservatives–given that it does not include extra government spending in providing incentives.

Democrats on the other side are busy trying to create policy to penalize law-abiding gun owner for evil acts. Worse, they are not able to stop mass shootings such as those in Buffalo (New York) and Uvalde (Texas). One proposal was titled the “Protecting Our Kids Act,” which is a slew of eight bills to tamp down on gun ownership and impose new restrictions. “The bills contain proposals to raise the minimum age for purchasing a semi-automatic weapon from 18 to 21, ban ‘high capacity magazines,’ establish a registry for bump stocks and more,” according to Fox News.

To increase their chances of passing, more than 20 House Democrats have asked Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the House Speaker, to split the package into individual bills.

A group of Democratic senators is trying to convince at least 10 Republican senators in the Senate to agree to further restrictions on firearms. They seem to realize they will not be able to swing enough votes for their more radical gun legislation, but the bipartisan group of senators seem to believe they can come to an agreement on a measure that would mirror Florida’s red flag law. Even this may prove difficult for senators with constituents that might get angry at the idea of making concessions to anti-gunners.

Gun rights supporters might find it more attractive to incentivize gun safety. Most gun owners already feel that responsible gun use is essential. It could save lives, but would that actually be possible? It is possible – but it would be nearly impossible to quantify how many lives it saved. It wouldn’t likely prevent mass shootings, nor curb gun violence.

It might also be helpful in reducing the number of accidental gun death. It could also reduce illegally owned guns. Many of these guns are taken from cars and homes because their rightful owners did not properly lock them. It is better than the Democrats’ proposal. They might revisit this proposal if the GOP takes back the House or the Senate.