Despite worries that it would take many months and much acrimonious debate to pass new gun laws, they slipped out of the Senate and House with bipartisan support and barely a mention. It seems only right that with the horror of Newtown merely the latest in a line of terrorist atrocities to beset the nation, our government should act swiftly.
So let's see what we got. That new legislation...
- Forbids anyone from asking gun dealers to keep an inventory of their goods, making it impossible to know if any weapons are missing or stolen
- Instructs the ATF to be very sure that no one can use their information on the use of guns in crimes, to draw any conclusions about... the use of guns in crimes
- Locks down a broad definition of the types of weapons that are considered antiques and collectables, making it easier to buy, sell, and import these weapons and their ammunition
- Forbids the ATF from pulling a gun license from a dealer just because they don't see any legitimate business activity and suspect that the dealer is engaged in a criminal enterprise
Criminals? Protected! Ingnorance? Upheld! Congratulations, America. Done and done.
If that's not quite what you had in mind, come inside. Let's talk.
Most stories on these new laws rush to point out a couple of things. First of all, the four provisions just passed were tacked onto the continuing resolution needed to fund government activities, and stopping to debate them could have endangered the timely passage of that bill. Second, the provisions were actually added before the tragedy at Sandy Hook, so this really shouldn't be seen as a slap in the face of shattered parents still mourning beside the fresh graves of their children. Third, most of these resolutions have been punted down the road each year in a nearly identical manner, so nothing really changed.
Bullshit. Double bullshit. And get the fuck off the stage.
Yes, these NRA-sponsored provisions were tacked onto a bill needed to keep the lights on not just in D.C. but everywhere the government does business. And that makes it okay? That these favors to gun industry lobbyists can be so easily added to a document that's required to keep essential services operating should be shocking enough to foment protests. And the simple assumption that even in the face of unbelievable horror and anguish these lobbyists can still hold the entire nation hostage, an assumption accepted so readily that no one dares challenge it...
Listen, I've got exactly zero sympathy for the Tea Party and its whole Koch-owned and operated mock rebellion. But the underlying frustration that first compelled some people to come screaming onto their lawns, that I understand. You want proof positive that a fat bundle of campaign cash in a few hands can get lobbyist-written legislation past every "guardian" left and right, while the voice of the overwhelming majority of the people gets pushed aside as inconvenient? Here you go. In the middle of a national demand for action to curb gun violence, despite weeks of tearful testimony and ample demonstrations that the NRA leadership is composed of bozos, crazies, and crazy bozos, the gun lobby still got exactly what they wanted. Wayne LaPierre is laughing at us all.
Legislation aimed at actually making a small effort to hold back the blood-dimmed tide is creeping ahead slowly... fearfully... fretfully, with some of the most important features being shed in the name of getting something, no matter how watered down, passed. Meanwhile, provisions sponsored and written by the NRA that actively degrade our ability to control gun violence pass like a bag of Olestra chips. If that doesn't summon up your inner Howard Beale, you're not paying attention.
Oh, and that business of this group of provisions being passed year after year? Well, you don't have to worry about the NRA doing that next year. Because this year's vote, unlike all previous votes on these provisions, made them permanent.
At the very least, we do learn something about the gun industry from these provisions. We learn that the thing they care most about, the item at the top of their shopping list, is the same as it's been for years -- ignorance. No matter how many speeches, flyers, and magazine articles the NRA funds to tell people that guns are valuable for family protection, no matter how many times they protest that guns stop more crimes than they start, the top priority of the gun lobby is making sure that no one can really find out the truth about their product. They don't want you to know how their guns are sold or how dangerous they are to have around the house. They want a clean page on which to scribble their fairy tales of guns as saviors; a fantasy only possible if the public is kept in a deep well of ignorance. For the same reason, the NRA works hard to push legislation that keeps doctors from asking their patients about one of the biggest health threats -- whether or not they have guns in their homes.
If someone is willing to spend millions lobbying to prevent research, it's because they have something to hide.
The importance that the gun lobby places on keeping America in the dark also gives us a clue about the best way to fight them: keep talking.
Keep talking to your congressmen and senators to let them know you are not going to forget and stop worrying about this issue if we manage to squeak out a week without a massacre. Keep pointing up those studies that do manage to take place, which invariably show that guns in the home are a threat to both children and adults, and that those states with sensible gun regulations have lower levels of gun violence. Spread the word on Kagro X's terrific #gunfail effort on Twitter, where he demonstrates the fallacy behind claims that guns are safe in the hands of "experts."
Talk about it. Blog about it. Email about it. Protest, call, and shout about it. Do the one thing that Congress has singularly failed to do -- be brave enough to stand up for what's right, even when it's not convenient.