In an editorial, Hoboken Councilman-at-Large and local Democratic committee member Joe Quintero explains why he feels there won’t be a federal assault rifle ban any time soon, even though there should be.
As of this writing 18 are dead in Maine with large portions of the affected area on lock down. The reason? Last night, some guy with a big gun that shoots lots of bullets decided to kill a bunch of people as quickly as he could.
Why? Does it even matter? This could have been prevented if he never had that big gun to begin with.
So, to get ahead of any calls to not politicize this issue, allow me to take a different approach and politicize the hell out of it. Conclusion – Democrats GOOD (usually) – Republicans BAD.
First, let’s acknowledge the simple, undeniable truth. In this instance and in all these countless (and it really is countless now) instances, it’s the guns! Sure, it’s not ONLY “the guns” (mental health, addiction, etc.), but “the guns” is the common denominator.
Especially big guns which shoot lots and lots of bullets, fast.
At this point even those who argue it’s something else know the truth.
After a speech where Mitch McConnell talks about mental health funding to prevent mass shootings, I know he goes home, looks into the mirror, into his dark soulless eyes and says, “yeah, it’s the guns.”
So, what’s going to be done about it? Nothing, at least nothing of true significance. Why?
Well, we can blame the NRA, our fetishized gun culture, or James Madison (he wrote the 2nd Amendment), but attempting change there is nearly futile. Defunding the NRA is a monumental task and it’s not going to happen in a world where free speech is paramount.
There is not enough gold in Fort Knox to cover the therapy needed to affect the minds of those who gaze longingly at their AR-15s. Most significantly, updating the 2nd Amendment to clarify that Madison really intended it to be about militias, is a near impossibility.
The only real thing to be done here is to have our federal government flat out ban assault rifles. Sure, states and cities can take action, and many have; however, we have freedom of movement in this country.
As a result, a legally purchased assault rifle in one state can make its way anywhere with relative ease. So, will this be the final straw towards a real ban in this country?
Will this tragedy finally cause our collective gun fever to break? Probably not … and by probably, I mean definitely not. But why not, is the question.
Ultimately, it’s because our system isn’t set up to incentivize any politician with any real power to effect real change with respect to assault rifles.
We have this idea of legislators as purely motivated by altruistic … motivations. But the reality is they (and I know being a relatively new councilman in Hoboken) are motivated by lots of things; one of those being the people yelling and screaming in front of them.
Case in point, Maine Representative Jared Golden. Jared’s a Democrat, so a good guy.
Today he switched his position on assault rifles because he now knows that his community is not immune to the mass shooting epidemic, because it finally happened in his backyard.
Good result, I guess. Jared has the right position now, but he had the wrong position before (remember I said the Dems were good, usually).
Taking a look at his legislative priorities, previously Jared listed campaign finance reform, supporting seniors, the environment, etc., all good things. Two reasons for this list (I’m sure) – first, those are immediate pressing needs in his community.
Second, those of his constituents who vote were probably yelling at him to leave really big guns alone. Today, they are likely not.
Good legislators need to do what is right for their communities, and that sometimes means doing what is unpopular. In Maine, before yesterday, banning assault rifles was likely unpopular, and today it’s probably the opposite.
Today Mr. Golden is on the right side of the issue, I’m glad, but if he and enough others had taken that position earlier, 18 people might still be alive.
But Democrats can’t do this alone, the true solution here is with the few sane Republicans we have left in Congress (I’ve given up on the MAGA majority – see the House Speaker fiasco as evidence of their lunacy). They know it’s about “the guns.”
They know lives will be saved if they do what will work. They know lives will be saved if they do what is right.
But the folks in their backyards are yelling and screaming about other things; some logical (taxes, foreign policy, the border), some not (banning books, climate change, funding the government).
The result being that in today’s gerrymandered, closed primaried system, which rewards pandering to the most primal fears of our wackiest fringes (usually on the right) – there is almost zero chance any other these Republicans will come over to the correct side of this issue.
That is, until it shows up in their own backyard.