By: Ted Patterson
Democrats staked their 2018 election hopes on gun control.
Infamous Gun Grabber Nancy Pelosi pledged before the election that “the issue of gun control would top the Democratic Party’s agenda in the House of Representatives if they take control.”
Thinking it would rally their base to the polls, Democrats promised widespread gun grabbing if they took back Congress, including universal background checks to assault weapons bans to gun confiscation schemes. The list goes on and on.
But the problem is the Democrats did not take back Congress. Not entirely.
Although Democrats took back control in the House of Representatives, they lost ground in the U.S. Senate.
With Donald Trump in the White House and Mitch McConnell and Republicans holding onto the Senate, Democrats have some roadblocks in their way if they want to pass gun control.
Or do they?
Battleground Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) has recently renewed calls for universal background checks.
Erie News Now | WICU & WSEE in Erie, PA
Toomey and swing state Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) tried and failed to advocate for this same measure in 2013, but they are back again now with this proposal since the Democrats will take control of the House in January.
Manchin is fresh off an electoral victory in which he narrowly defeated a Republican challenger in increasingly conservative West Virginia. It is likely that with six fresh years ahead of him, Manchin will be more emboldened than ever to pursue the universal background check scheme again.
Gun control in 2019 will hinge on Senate Republicans and President Trump.
With an extremely thin GOP majority in the Senate, the Republicans have little room for error. Already Pat Toomey has indicated he will be one such Republican on the wrong side of the Second Amendment.
Who else will emerge?
Two incoming Republican Senators should cause grave concern:
Mitt Romney was just elected the new Senator from Utah. As a moderate Republican who served as a governor in liberal Massachusetts and who has often been a critic of President Trump – I would not at all be surprised to see Mitt Romney support “common sense” gun control legislation.
Rick Scott just barely won his bid to become Florida’s next U.S. Senator. As many know, Florida is where the horrific Parkland shooting occurred, and where, as Governor, Scott supported and signed gun control legislation following the shooting. Florida is one of, if not the very top swing state in the country, and Scott will be under enormous pressure to vote for gun control as a U.S. Senator.
Universal background checks would be an absolute disaster for gun owners, but it may be politically palatable to Republicans fearful for their re-election prospects in 2020.
With the rise of mass shootings in this country and the liberal media’s constant deluge of pro-control messaging, universal background checks are a realistic possibility in 2019.
Read my previous article on why background checks are the opposite of effective.
Not only are these schemes flat-out ineffective in making us safer, they’re also unconstitutional!
Gunpowder Magazine’s own José Niño covers the constitutionality of universal background checks in detail here.
Gun owners should also be on guard concerning H.R.7115, the “3D Firearms Prohibitions Act.”
The National Rifle Association points out major concerns with this foolish legislation:
“Attentive readers will probably notice that the bad drafting started with the title: we live in a three-dimensional world; so all firearms are necessarily “3-D.” Despite the title, the bill doesn’t seem to ban all firearms, however, it’s provisions are so poorly drafted and show such a incredible lack of understanding of firearms that it likely does ban nearly any part intended for use in a modern semi-automatic firearm. Even simple pins and springs seem to fall within the provisions of the bill.”
NRA-ILA. House Democrats Outline Gun Control Agenda for 116th Congress. November 16, 2018.
California Democrat Eric Swalwell wants an “assault” weapons buy-back scheme put in place.
Watch him debate Tucker Carlson, who rightly notes how ludicrous Swalwell’s proposal is:
No matter what final form gun control measures take in 2019, one thing is clear: gun grabbers are on the offensive, and gun owners better be ready to speak out and stand up.
The Gun Control Lobby sees 2019 as their best chance – a stage set like never before – to force the question on gun rights and make big gains on legislation they’ve been pushing for decades.
Ted Patterson is pro-freedom political activist and consultant writing from Maryland. Contact him at [email protected].