How do you explore the gun rights/gun control issue without addressing 2nd Amendment concerns? It's easy -- just don't bring the pesky thing up. In this article by Brady Campaign head and former mayor Paul Helmke, "Common-sense steps to reduce gun violence," the 2nd Amendment isn't mentioned a single time, or even referred to obliquely. The column is the usual uneasy mixture of bad things happening to good people with guns (a high school friend accidentally shot with an "unloaded" gun, a police recruit dead from a training officer's mistake) and recommendations to keep guns away from bad people.
And since there's no appeal to constitutionality, let's hear it for the people:
A February poll showed that Hoosiers support these proposals by overwhelming margins: 96 percent for reporting lost and stolen guns; 90 percent for requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check; 85 percent for tracking bulk purchases; and 62 percent for banning the sale of high-capacity ammo mags. Households in Indiana with guns -- 51 percent of the survey sample -- also support these proposals with strong majorities.
The people in Indiana, including gun owners, are ahead of our Hoosier elected officials in supporting common-sense steps to reduce gun violence.
I wouldn't call 51 percent a "strong" majority, but I guess that's just a quibble. I wonder what percentage of people are in favor of decriminalizing marijuana and what Helmke would think if it turns out 51 percent are in favor?
