David French at National Review writes that defending the Second Amendment takes courage. The following is excerpted from his article.
After every mass shooting, angry voices on the Left take the extraordinarily complex social, cultural, and political phenomenon of mass shootings and boil them down to “everyone who opposes our gun control plans are craven weakling in thrall to the NRA.”
Yesterday was no exception.
The presumption that Republican politicians care less about school shootings than they care about NRA campaign dollars or NRA votes plays very well on Twitter, but it’s detached from reality.
The fact is that courage is a cornerstone of the gun culture. Countless permit holders don’t just take the time to get carry licenses, they spend hours at the range. They take classes. They aspire to be brave.
The fact is that conservative politicians consistently advocate government action that they sincerely believe will make a positive difference.
Conservatives are keenly aware of the failings of existing gun laws and rightfully wonder why the Left has such confidence that more of the same will be more effective.
We don’t have good solutions to the problem of mass shootings. These crimes are sometimes planned months or years in advance, so the shooters have plenty of time to circumvent gun laws.
- Increased vigilance and governmental competence can stop some shooters.
- Armed civilians can stop others.
- Public education about warning signs can prevent a few more.
Each of these things has worked in the past. Each will work again.
But calling ideological opponents “cowards” has not worked and never will.
Source:
