Gun grabbers always have some sort of hot take when it comes to firearms, and always miss the mark, but Excitable Noah Berlatsky at NBC News does get this partially right
Trump and Republicans don’t hate gun control because of the NRA. They just love guns.
American gun culture is driven by a complex mix of reactionary fantasies, racism and insecurity — not campaign donations.
“Democrats say we have guns in America because of ‘corruption,'” former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared on Twitter on Sept. 12. “No, we have guns because it’s our God-given right enshrined in the Constitution.”
The second part of that tweet is silly; God didn’t give people the right to own AR-15s any more than a divine entity gave Americans the right to own automobiles without seat belts. The first part of Sanders’ tweet, though, is mostly accurate. The National Rifle Association’s money doesn’t corrupt Republican legislators. Instead, Republicans oppose gun control because conservative political identity is today inseparable from guns. Identity is a deeper motivator than money, and, for those who want to end gun violence, a more intransigent one. (snip through all sorts of money talk)
So if money isn’t leading Republicans to stonewall gun control legislation, what is? The answer is straightforward: Gun ownership and Republican identity have become inseparable. The most passionate Republican voters see guns as a central part of who they are.
And Noah goes on to blame raaaaacism, anti-illegal alien fervor, and even having a religious meaning. But, he is right, the NRA is not driving the “gun culture”, they’re just protecting our Rights. Most of us have a firearm because we want to, because we can, and because we want protection. Because they’re fun to fire. Did I mention “because we are Constitutionally allowed and the government needs to mind their own business for the law abiding”?
This distinction is important, because it suggests what gun control solutions won’t work, and which ones might. Tightening campaign finance regulations or getting big money out of politics, as Elizabeth Warren has promised, is not likely to reduce pro-gun sentiment among Republicans. The NRA’s ongoing financial difficulties aren’t likely to affect Republican votes much either. On the other hand, fighting voter suppression and enfranchising poor and minority voters who lean Democratic, and don’t base their identities on guns, could change the playing field significantly.
Most of all, we need to recognize that on guns, the two parties are diametrically opposed. Many Republican politicians (and voters) see any kind of gun control — whether background checks or a ban on assault rifles — as an existential threat. If Democrats want gun control, they need to win elections. Republicans aren’t going to compromise
Strange, that almost seems like Excitable Gun Grabber Noah is saying that if Democrats are elected that they’ll come for our guns in violation of the U.S. Constitution. And then Gun Grabbers wonder why we won’t compromise on anything.
