Chris Hayes suggested on Tuesday that Democrats and gun safety advocates should stop prefacing every argument about gun control with praise for the Second Amendment.
Instead, the MSNBC host said they should just come out and say what millions of Americans think: The Second Amendment is flawed, and it needs an update.
“What is wrong with that as a north star?” Hayes asked.
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Chris Hayes wonders why Democrats and gun safety advocates continue to bow to the Second Amendment instead of just admitting it’s flawed #inners pic.twitter.com/rw9hXSJnol
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 28, 2018
Hayes explained:
What we’re saying is that we just reject the fundamental content (of the Second Amendment) here. We all have to kind of bow and scrape before the gun owners and say things like, “I respect the Second Amendment but comma” as opposed to – I think there are a lot of people that feel like guns are bad. There shouldn’t be a lot of guns, people shouldn’t have guns. Maybe it was a good idea at the time. I reject it. What is wrong with that as a north star?
The politics surrounding guns are changing
As the incredible March For Our Lives demonstrated over the past weekend, the politics surrounding guns has changed drastically. Americans aren’t just sick of constant mass shootings. They’re also tired of politicians doing nothing in the aftermath of these tragedies.
As public opinion changes and people commit to politically punishing leaders who do nothing, the debates around this issue should change, too.
For decades, it isn’t just Republicans who have feared the NRA; Democrats have, too. Many in the party are advocating for smarter gun laws now, but they continue to preface each of their proposals with something like this, as Chris Hayes mentioned on Tuesday: “I respect and support the Second Amendment, but…”
It’s time to ditch this wishy-washy way of talking about guns and just take a stand. It’s okay to say the Second Amendment is flawed – because it is.
Times have changed, and the Second Amendment should change, too. As mass shootings carried out using high-powered weaponry continue to strike big cities and small towns across the country, Democrats and gun control advocates shouldn’t be afraid to say that.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
