Lawmaker’s ‘Common Sense Gun Reforms’ are Both Senseless and Deceptive

“I am a mom to two children in elementary school, the wife and daughter of educators, and I am a Spartan,” Democrat State Rep. Kelly Breen declares in a Detroit Free Press citizen disarmament rant.  “And, as the chair of the Judiciary Committee in the Michigan House of Representatives, I am committed to honoring those killed by gun violence with action.”

She’s established up front she has power. She spends the rest of her screed demonstrating she does not have the wisdom or integrity to wield it responsibly.

“That’s why I’m working with my colleagues on a legislative package that will save lives by making common sense changes to our laws, including establishing universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, and requiring safe storage of firearms,” Breen unoriginally threatens. She’s simply repeating the same stale narrative talking points we hear every time the demand du jour isn’t about banning “assault weapons.” (Michigan Democrats are trying for that, but for now, the focus is on the cited infringements.)

“Universal background checks” is just another way of saying “end private sales,” and the real intent goes beyond that. Per the National Institute of Justice:

 “Effectiveness depends on the ability to reduce straw purchasing, requiring gun registration…”

What does registration lead to?

“Extreme risk protection orders” are just another way of denying real due process and punishing gun owners who haven’t even been charged with anything, let alone convicted. As economist, author, and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, John Lott demonstrates:

“Red-flag laws do nothing but put innocent people at risk and make it easier to disarm opponents for political purposes.”

There was a time when even children could see the tyrannical absurdity of “Sentence first. Verdict afterwards.”

As for “safe storage” diktats, responsible gun owners with knowledge of their own particular situations and needs also know there is no “one size fits all” approach,” and that being required to in effect lock up their safety as dictated by bureaucrats is not the answer – especially if it gives an aggressor an advantage as short as a few seconds.

It’s not like criminals, hardcore substance abusers, and the like who aren’t even legally “allowed” to have a gun are going to obey laws mandating firearms be locked up separately from ammunition, and the children in those households are the ones most at risk.

Breen’s “legislative package” is hardly “common sense,” and the promise that it will “save lives” is fraudulent, as evidenced by all the “gun violence” (and there’s a purposely crafted loaded term) racking up body counts every day in states where such “laws” have been in effect.

Disregard that none of what she’s proposing would have had any impact on the ability of a determined killer like the MSU murderer to get and use a gun. It shouldn’t need to be stated that only the law-abiding abide by laws, or that the lion’s share of shootings is done by “prohibited persons.”

But Breen sounds “reasonable” to those who can’t see through what she and her Moms Demand backers really want, which is pretty much everything. They’ll take what they can get today and be back demanding more tomorrow. The prohibitionists’ goal, in their own words, is citizen disarmament. What is surrendered to them in the name of “compromise” will never be “enough” for them.

But like the politician she is, Breen knows it’s all about weasel-wording and equivocation depending on who your target audience is. So when she’s asked her views on the Second Amendment, she comes across as willing to find common ground (and hoping no one notices her big “but”):

“I support the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership. At the same time, I am also deeply committed to the safety of Michigan families and police officers, so I believe that we need to ensure a balance where law-abiding citizens are able to exercise their Second Amendment while also keeping guns away from those with criminal intent.”

When she’s playing to a different crowd, she takes the mask off:

“Again I will be very clear: Policy & change. F*** your thoughts and prayers.”

And by the time she and her gun-grabbing cronies are through with their legislative subversion,  f*** your rights.

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.