Republican lawmakers continue to hide behind the fake narrative that any restrictions on access to gun violates the Second Amendment. They use a transparent lie to align themselves with the NRA’s gun culture to secure campaign donations. The “right to bear arms” could be interpreted as owning one weapon for self-protection. From a Constitutional originalist perspective, the amendment could also be construed to mean ” the right to carry a musket” which was the weapon that existed at the time the Constitution was written. Through the years, the courts have broadly supported the Second Amendment having no limits. Despite The Reality That The United States leads the world in gun ownership and mass shootings, the Republican party chooses NRA and dark money over the public safety of America’s kids at school and citizens going about their every day routines.
Insider Magazine (Jan. 2023) affirmed there were 647 mass shootings in 2022 in the US. Gun deaths caused by random mass shootings are increasing at an alarming rate. There is consensus among law enforcement, the psychological community, and gun reform and gun rights advocates to expand and strengthen gun laws. The majority of Americans support sensible changes in the gun laws such as:
- Expanded background checks
- Banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines
- Increase protections for victims of domestic violence
- Increase services for the mentally ill
- Fight gun trafficking
- Restriction conceal carry permits
- Restricting stand your ground policies
- Eliminate sale of guns by unlicensed sellers on the internet
However, support of these reforms are more favored by democrats than republicans. Republicans favor protecting gun rights while democrats prioritize controlling gun ownership. The divide between the parties on the issue of how to reduce gun violence and mass shootings is getting smaller. Maybe the loss of over 44,000 lives to gun violence in 2022 is penetrating the false belief by those who believe any form of gun reform is unnecessary and unconstitutional.
Here’s an essential plea to Americans who voted in divisive, militant, conspiracy theorist, unqualified people to Congress” Vote them out so American lives will be saved by 1) sensible gun legislation, 2) competent preparation for future pandemics, and 3) improved police reform laws.
