In the aftermath of multiple murderous outrages — political assassinations, school shootings, attacks on law enforcement — Democrats and commentators across the left are yet again pressing to put the focus on guns. In Minnesota, the site of the assassination of the former state house speaker and of the murder of Catholic schoolchildren at prayer, Governor Tim Walz is calling the legislature into special session to focus on “gun violence.” It’s unlikely that Walz will get anything significant passed, given that his party has just a one-seat majority in the state senate and that the state house is evenly divided. But he’s under pressure from activists, and he likely sees this as an opportunity to pressure Republican legislators in swing suburban districts ahead of next year’s elections.
Forget the electoral calculations, however. Targeting guns is foolish as a diagnosis and worse as a cure. Those who leap at gun control as an answer to political violence and mass-casualty attacks on schools are not going to accomplish anything, and along the way, they’re draining the time, attention, and public energy that could be put into solutions more tailored to the problem. That’s not harmless.
Comments