By Gary Bennett
It never ceases to amaze me how much gun owners care about their guns.
When I try to think of something that I enjoy so much that if it were curtailed in any way, I would take off for the state capital with my compatriots to lodge a protest, I come up empty. But that is exactly what gun rights supporters did in Richmond on January 20 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no less.
You certainly have to give them credit. What the gun rights supporters did in Richmond was undeniably impressive. Over 20,000 made their way to the Virginia state capital from all over the country to voice their displeasure with the gun safety measures working their way through the newly Democrat-controlled legislature. That is democracy at its best.
But why did so many have to ruin it by dressing up in fatigues and carrying their pistols on their hips and long guns across their chests? This unfortunate attempt at intimidation and bullying took away from what was otherwise a sound message: please don’t infringe upon our constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
Despite organizers’ pleas for demonstrators to wear regular clothes so as to not appear to be gun-crazy lunatics, I’m afraid that is exactly what happened. The temptation to put on a menacing show proved too great. Thank goodness the other side stayed away, focusing instead on working the phones to promote their point of view. One could easily imagine another Charlottesville had the two sides been toe to toe in Richmond. And kudos to the state police who proactively rounded up three American terrorists bent on doing harm at the protest.
Of course, 20,000 protesters pale in comparison to 2.4 million Virginians who voted in large part for increased gun safety in the 2019 state election, thereby flipping the legislature blue. The new silent majority in Virginia spoke and spoke loudly: there is a new sheriff in town and you’ll now be checking your guns at the door.
Virginia’s Republican-controlled legislature made a mockery of the governor’s call last fall to discuss gun safety in a special session by ending the proceedings in 90 minutes. Students of government and history could easily see the blue wave coming after that happened. Voters in the middle on both sides tend not to put up with dereliction of duty like this, and they didn’t.
You can say that the rich treasure trove of progressive voters in Northern Virginia overwhelmed the rest of the state, and you would be partially right, but the truth is the blue wave hit all parts of the state. Anyway, aren’t Northern Virginians are just as much Virginians as those in the rural western parts of the state? How sad that many on the right called for Northern Virginia to be annexed into Washington, DC because of this change in political fortune.
There has also been a rush of over 110 communities in rural Virginia to declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries. A few counties even entertained the idea of leaving the state for the greener pastures of gun-loving, ruby red West Virginia, which is surprisingly constitutional. These developments were funny but sad at the same time.
Having their community declared a Second Amendment sanctuary may make gun enthusiasts feel better, but such a declaration has no force of law, just like declaring a city an immigration sanctuary has no force of law. It is a waste of time and confuses people into thinking they can ignore gun laws coming out of Richmond. Nothing could be further from the truth and some people will unfortunately find out the hard way.
Besides the “I want it my way or I’m leaving” mentality, what bothers me most about many gun owners is that they only see the perceived infringement of their own rights. What about the rights of the rest of us to feel safe in our communities? What about the families torn apart by gun violence?
We know you are not the perpetrators, but most gun owners never seem to offer any solutions or seem willing to even join in the discussion. It would be so refreshing to hear gun owners say, “Hey, they’re right. This is our responsibility. We have to do something. We can’t go on this way.” Sadly, that never happens. No, they are happy to blame mental illness, ignoring the fact that only 23 percent of shooters have such a diagnosis according to the CDC. So, please see this political ploy for what it is: deflection. Once the furor of the latest bout of gun violence dies down, meaningful mental health system reform is quickly forgotten and on we move.
There is no doubt this new political reality must be very unsettling to rural Virginians. I lived in rural Southwestern Virginia for many years before moving to Frederick in 1988 so I get that. Gun ownership and sportsmanship is a way of life. I think most reasonable people understand and appreciate that. The good news is that no one is coming to take away Virginians’ guns. That is a scare tactic. Don’t fall for it. No mainstream politician is even suggesting such a thing. Even if they did, it would be impossible to implement. What do gun owners think – that a small band of FBI agents or state police officers will descend on their communities house by house to confiscate guns? Please.
Let’s be equally clear that regulation is not infringement. The Second Amendment says the right of the people to keep and bear arms “shall not be infringed,” not that it “shall not be regulated.” Even the first four words of the amendment “a well-regulated militia” demands regulation. The Supreme Court has upheld the Second Amendment as pertaining to ordinary citizens (“the people”) and not state national guards as many will argue, but that doesn’t make the Second Amendment absolute. None of our rights are absolute. The courts have upheld time and again that all amendments are subject to reasonable regulation.
As much as I might like to, I can’t make up and publish vicious lies about my worst enemy designed to harm their name without risking dire consequences. Free speech is regulated but that doesn’t infringe upon my right to exercise it reasonably. Likewise, requiring some training before a person can carry a concealed weapon, requiring a universal background check before any gun can be purchased, and limiting handgun purchases to one a month (who are these people?) infringes on no one’s right to bear arms.
The NRA has done a wildly successful job of convincing gun owners that if you give just a little bit, the government will come back for more. History shows time and again that is not the case. Once the party in power gets what they initially want, they back off and move on to other things. The rash of gun regulations now making their way through the Virginia legislature is due to pent up demand and the suicidal policy of the last legislature to not consider any gun regulation whatsoever. That is not where most Virginians are. If the previous legislature had governed from the middle-right on gun regulation instead of the hard right, I believe they would still be in power. I also believe the Democrats are making the same mistake right now from the left. They are pushing for too much, too quickly. Republicans will have an excellent opportunity to make this case to voters later this year. We are a 50/50 country and Virginia is a 50/50 state that changes legislatures every single year. When will we learn to govern that way?
This may come as a surprise to many and the fanatics will deny it but most gun owners support reasonable regulation. A recent NPR-PBS Newshour-Marist poll shows that 89 percent of Americans support enhanced background checks, including 84 percent of Republicans. And, according to a Fox News poll, two-thirds of Americans support an assault weapons ban and nearly three-fourths support a national “red flag” law. Yes, Fox News.
Unfortunately, you will hear the exact opposite from the NRA. The NRA claims 5 million members, but as a former association executive, I can assure you that number is probably inflated. Even if it is not, there are 80 million American gun owners. To say the NRA represents the gun-owning public is absolutely wrong and proven in national poll after national poll that examines gun issues. So please, don’t be taken in by their propaganda. We can have our guns and regulate them, too.
Gary Bennett is a political scientist, historian, and freelance writer living in Frederick, MD.