I have to give New York Times opinion columnist Charles Blow some credit, he is willing to say the quiet part out loud. On Sunday, Blow published an op-ed piece entitled “The Hard Truth: Gun Safety Must Be Everything That Republicans Fear”. It was one of more than a dozen pro-gun control columns published by the paper over the Memorial Day weekend.
But what made Blow’s stand out is that it did not blame “obstructionist Republicans” or denigrate Supreme Court rulings on the meaning of the 2nd Amendment. This one took to task Democrats that continue to try to hide the ultimate goal of the gun control effort. He believes the party should actually embrace the “slippery slope” argument presented by gun ownership advocates that one law will just lead to another law, that will lead to another law, that will lead to another law, until the “government comes for yer guns!”
But, will any Democrats actually embrace Blow’s call to action? Is there a candidate willing to state they will support an endless litany of gun control measures that will be reactively considered after every shooting incident going forward? And would be willing to admit that the law passed after the last one was pretty much useless?
Blow doesn’t get a 100% score for transparency. He stops short of spotlighting the real goal of gun confiscation in the U-S, but he does make an impassioned plea that there are “too many guns already” and that gun buy-backs will have to be a part of any “solution”. And he doesn’t address the other issue that Democrats refuse to admit publicly: any effort to curtail illegal gun ownership is going to have a disproportionate effect on people of color–which derailed previous organized efforts to “get guns off the streets”.
Even the title of the column–using the term “gun safety” instead of “gun control”–belies the broader strategy. How could anyone ever consider a gun to be “safe”? People accidentally shoot themselves all the time. Kids find their parents’ weapons all the time. What is the only way to “guarantee” that everyone is “safe” from guns?
So let’s pull back the curtains that hide everyone’s ultimate plans and goals in this never-ending debate. Just state on the record “I believe everyone that is eligible should own whatever guns they want” or “I don’t believe anyone should own any guns” and let the voters decide. What is it they always say about a well-educated and informed electorate?
