Republicans Prepare to Play the Sucker After ‘Gun Safety’ Bill Is Revealed – Opinion

The rush to “do something” in the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, and Uvalde, TX, has led to a bipartisan group of senators pursuing so-called “gun safety” legislation over the last several weeks. After the announcement, I wrote a criticism of the Republicans, noting how any compromise was simply giving Democrats more leverage.

Now, we’ve got our first preview of what’s going to be in the bill in question. According to EWTN, it’s going to include a range of measures, from funding for “red flag” laws to increased background checks to funding for mental health and schools.

#BREAKINGMy sources tell me something new #GunControl measures may be announced today (Sunday) feds provide money to states to implement red flag laws, deeper checks, allow juvenile records to be searched, start mental health pilot program, & funding for school security. @EWTNNewsNightly pic.twitter.com/2MPkNUKRIa

— Erik Rosales (@ErikRosalesNews) June 12, 2022

Because most of these measures can be used in isolation, I feel the need to be fair. I believe there’s ample evidence that red flag laws are largely useless and exist to make people feel better, not actually prevent mass casualty events. We’d also need a lot more details on what “deeper checks” means.

Overall, though, if this bill truly doesn’t include any actual anti-gun policies (i.e. The bill doesn’t include actual anti-gun policies, such as confiscation or bans. This makes the bill more attractive even if some of its measures don’t work. These red flag laws, which will likely remain at the state-level, can be challenged before a court of law if required. I don’t really have a problem with deeper background checks either, as long as that doesn’t translate to “universal background checks” being used as a national gun registry. For gun sales, gun dealers require more information. This includes juvenile and mental records.

I don’t think anyone would be against school security or mental health funding, given that those were the primary alternatives to gun controls offered by conservatives.

Given this, how can I say that Republicans are still being suckers? To clarify, it’s not because of anything specifically in this bill, assuming the reporting on what’s in it is accurate. Instead, the GOP seems to be falling into a trap since they are not asserting that the bill will end all of their problems.

Here’s the thing. Another mass shooting is inevitable. No matter what laws are passed, the evil will still be able to get hold of the weapons they need to do evil things. When that mass shooting occurs, Democrats are going to scream about how the last “gun safety” bill wasn’t enough and how we must “do something.” That “do something” will include confiscation and outright bans on common weaponry. Instead of putting down a marker that says they’re willing to stand aside, Democrats are simply allowing them to compromise and give Democrats the power to grab the entire pie next time.

This isn’t the end of left-wing pressure to ban semiautomatic guns. Republicans that don’t recognize that are being suckers.