A week ago I predicted that the Senate would do nothing on gun regulation. But over the weekend negotiators announced they'd reached a deal. So was I too cynical?
Maybe! But keep two things in mind:
- Nothing has passed yet. There's plenty of time for things to fall apart.
- Even if it passes, the "framework" announced on Sunday contains only two (2) provisions that actually regulate guns. One would slightly strengthen background checks for gun buyers under 21. The other would prevent domestic violence offenders from owning a gun even if they aren't married to their victim (the so-called "boyfriend loophole").
The rest of the Senate agreement deals with mental health, red flag laws, and so forth. So count me as still cynical. This bit of legislative trivia will probably get watered down even further and, even then, may well not pass. The conservative noise machine has plenty of time to convince their followers that no true friend of liberty would restrict the Second Amendment rights of unmarried domestic abusers.
POSTSCRIPT: Is the success of "framework" negotiations a historic win just for showing that Republicans are finally open to gun regulation, even if things are starting off small? A lot of pundits seem to think so, but I'd say this is wishful thinking on a grand scale. Republicans are just playing for time, not showing any real interest in stopping gun massacres.