The re-election of Donald Trump as president, coupled with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, is good news for folks on the right. That's especially true for those of us who consider ourselves gun rights advocates. Trump ran as pro-gun and he's got all the pieces in place to, at a minimum, prevent any new regulations and repeal everything Biden did to infringe on our rights.
But anti-gun advocates know this too. They know that they're not going to get a lot done in Congress. That means they're going to shift their efforts.
That means they're going to take the fight to the states:
Focusing on Congress, especially when lawmakers are talking about gun control, is to be expected. Washington, D.C., is the center of gravity when it comes to policymaking in the United States. Big debates, big legislation, and big policy agendas are decided that have sweeping authority across the nation.
For some, it can be excruciatingly slow. That’s what the framers had intended. Congress was never meant to be quick on decision-making. Instead, the process of drafting laws, enacting legislation, and setting policy was intended to be deliberative. The idea was that lawmakers should put thought into the lasting impacts their passionate rhetoric might invite.
This Congress won’t be any different, especially when it comes to firearm policies. Congress is narrowly split in both chambers. That means meaningful legislation will likely not gain the support needed. That can be frustrating for pro-gun legislation but helpful when it comes to blocking gun control.
That’s why gun control proponents have shifted their focus to 50 new targets.
State legislatures move much more quickly than Congress. While federal lawmakers have two calendar years to advance their bills, state legislatures — in some cases — have just two months. That means things move quickly, and this year shows why gun control is moving their efforts to the states instead of Congress.
Just 10 states hold year-round legislative sessions. The rest are a mad dash for state policy agendas. This year might be the best evidence of how gun control advocates are shifting their focus to getting their agenda items across the finish line.
And there are plenty of efforts underway right now. We've seen attempts to ban semi-automatics, among a plethora of other regulations.
From a strategic standpoint, this is smart. Sure, the constitutional issues are still present, but by hitting multiple states with similar regulations, it increases the duration where some of these rules will be in place before the Supreme Court decides to either hear the case and strike the law down, or just decline to hear it at all.
That's all too common, I'm afraid.
Once upon a time, gun rights advocates did the same thing. They weren't going to get much headway in Congress, so they focused on the states. Now, most states have some form of permitless carry and otherwise pretty lax rules around gun sales and gun possession. Most other states are much farther away from the anti-gun extremes of a California or New York.
So now, they're trying to flip the script because they know they won't get anything federally.
They've been working in the states, of course, and have for years. Now, though, they're going to throw a lot more money at those fights, which means the battles may become a lot more intense.
Time for gun rights folks to dig in and get ready.
