Opinion
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- Businessman and entrepreneur Andrew Yang has generated a lot of buzz. As an outsider, he does not fit the template that we see from many of the other candidates running for the Democratic nomination to face President Trump in 2020 with extensive experience in politics.
The lack of experience also means he has a clean slate in terms of a voting record. As noted in AmmoLand’s coverage of Larry Hogan, it is both good and bad news for Second Amendment supporters, albeit with Yang, the situation is reversed, even though his campaign page has a number of dealbreakers including complicated licensing, magazine bans, gun buy backs, registration and licensing, he is a Democrat after all.
The good news, if any, for Second Amendment supporters is that he at least recognizes our pre-existing right to keep and bear arms in his campaign statements. This is a very big deal. It is arguably the big concession. Once you get a person to admit to this, then it is possible to use facts and research to eventually win them over. In this, he is much like Tulsi Gabbard, and there is a chance to work with him to address some ancillary issues in a manner that defends those rights.
Also, unlike many Democrats, in his complicated licensing scheme he supports what gun owners call concealed carry reciprocity to some degree. This is also huge, since he has conceded the principle, even if he is not presently supporting federal legislation. It is also a provision that can be used to get anti-Second Amendment extremists in Congress to kill a bill as was done in 1999 in the wake of Columbine in the (presently) unlikely event of a Yang Administration.
Yang also seeks improvements to addressing mental health issues – which have often been seen in some mass shooting cases, but which is very relevant to the prevention of suicide. Yang specifically is seeking more funding for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Second Amendment supporters and pro gun mental health groups like, Walk the Talk America would be foolish not to work with Yang on the mental health and suicide prevention components of his agenda. Suicides with firearms kill about 75 percent more people than homicides with firearms, and Second Amendment supporters should be looking for ways to lower deaths from firearms that don’t infringe upon our rights.
Now for all the deal breakers – and there are plenty. Yang supports a licensing scheme we see in places like Canada, with various tiers. He also wants to ban numerous accessories, none of which have been commonly used for crimes or mass shootings. He goes beyond a bump-stock ban to also target suppressors (currently covered under the National Firearms Act), and explosive or incendiary ammo (which hasn’t been tied to crimes).
Yang’s most dangerous proposal is the establishment of government safety requirements for firearms – with strict penalties for non-compliant designs. This would eventually include mandates for “smart gun” technology. Now imagine, if you will, someone like Kamala Harris or Eric Swalwell becoming president with this power. The Second Amendment would be at the mercy of un-elected, and thereby unaccountable, bureaucrats. This has long been a desire of the Violence Policy Center, which openly seeks bans on handguns and modern multi-purpose semi-automatic firearms.
From all appearances, President Andrew Yang would not be not a good outcome for Second Amendment supporters. He is a wild card, though, in that all we have are statements on his campaign web page. While there are areas where Yang could support either some marginal gains or policies that do not attack our rights, he is still pretty willing to support infringements.
That being said, Yang, like Gabbard, apparently is not completely unreachable, and has made concessions to Second Amendment supporters. Second Amendment supporters could serious cripple Bloomberg’s anti-Second Amendment extremism if they come across the right way to the Andrew Yangs and Tulsi Gabbards in America.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Harold, appeasement will get you nowhere on this board.
This guy is another leftist village idiot on the loose. He is a maoist POS and will do everything in his power to destroy our God given rights. These people don’t get it. By not taking the requisite actions to defend oneself, it is a form of suicide. Think about it!
He’ll never be President, much less even get the nomination. Not to worry.
Yang made a racist remark on Fox News Sunday and Wallace sat there and let it go by! Thanks for nothing Wallace, your dad would be proud of you.
Really? You would give him a chance? When will you ever learn? Give them nothing, especially the benefit of the doubt. They will not extend the same benefit to you.
I’m sorry son but you’re too naive, this is war.
NO DUMMYCRAT WILL PROTECT YOUR GUN RIGHTS, NUFF SAID!!