Our new President has called for unity.

I recently had a pleasant conversation with a good friend who is a pro-gun liberal. (Yes, there are more of those than a lot of people think.)  We got to talking about the “gun control” debate and he asked me what I thought the anti-gun forces needed to do to get the pro-gun forces to listen to them.

I explained that the “dialogue” the prohibitionists say they want has been going on for years, and has boiled down to the former saying “Here’s what we want to take away from you, while giving you nothing and conceding nothing to you.”

Reminding him (as I now remind you) that I was speaking just for myself and not for any organization I am involved with, I told him that a gesture of good faith might be in order.

A gesture such as support for the bipartisan National Concealed Carry Reciprocity bill now before Congress.

Yes, in a display of incredible optimism, Congressman Hudson introduced that bill this month in the face of a Democrat-controlled Congress when in the recent past, with Republicans in control of the White House and the Senate, it had been deemed inexpedient to push despite then-President Trump’s promised support.  The term “a snowball’s chance in Hell” comes to mind.

My pro-gun friend is at the top of his profession and very influential there; he is a personal friend of Hillary Clinton and a substantial donor to the Democrat party. I told him none of those people would listen to someone like me, but they might at least listen to someone like him. If the Biden/Harris administration’s theme is going to be one of reuniting a polarized nation, seeing high-powered Democrat support for this bipartisan legislation would not only save innocent lives in the future, but would be a show of good faith by the Democrats.

I expect my friend will be disappointed and disillusioned if and when he makes such an attempt, but I wish him well.

Whether or not one believes in miracles, I don’t think it hurts to hope for them.

75 COMMENTS

  1. It’s why we no longer here the word “compromise”! When asked exactly the other side would give in exchange for the compromise, you would get “ Crickets!”

  2. As you suggest I think there are enough liberal gun owners that some of these ideas will not go too far when it comes down to it.

  3. The current administration’s definition of unity is, get on your knees, kiss our feet, and do everything we tell you to do. No thanks. I don’t want to be your slave.

    • CAShields, that is an old file photo. Without seeing the whole holster, I don’t know which make/model of Kydex AIWB that is. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

  4. Trump was for it, but the RINO leadership was against it, and not one Republican congressman would dare step out on their own and offer a bill. If Trump forms a Patriot or MAGA I will join. But before that, we must create our own national media and take over voting at the state level. Where are all the Independent and Conservative billionaires?

  5. There was a time where the opposing sides on gun issues could find a compromise. The Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 is much reviled now by 2A advocates, but most seem completely ignorant of the history behind it or that it was considered a solid win for gun rights by pro and anti-gun activists at the time.

    This isn’t to say that I like the restrictions it brought about, but I have an appreciation for the fact the ATF can’t harass an FFL out of business through repeated inspections anymore like they were.

  6. The job of the democrats is to pass liberal, leftwing socialist legislation and create new, more and an ever bigger government bureaucracy.
    The job of the republicans is to complain about what the democrats do and proclaim how they will reverse/change the policies if elected into power.
    When the republicans are in power they do nothing that they promised and proclaimed that they would do. 0bamacare is an excellent example. They could have nullified that legislation in 2017 and chose not to. Republicans simply support the status-quo until the democrats are back in charge.
    It is not the republicans role to do anything to impede our nation’s slide into totalitarian socialism. Their history over the past decades proves that.
    This “two party system” is a kabuki dance of death for our nation’s founding principles.

  7. Being in the information security game, the word ‘compromise’ sends shivers down my spine. I do agree that the concealed carry reciprocity bill is a win-win not just for gun owners, but for anyone. The only people hurt by obscure and illogical concealed carry laws are unwitting citizens unaware of a particular states conditions for carry. Discovering how many violent felons had a concealed carry permit when they committed their crime would be a good data point. (My guess is near zero)

    Lawmakers and their staffs need to bring data to the table to prove their claims. Emotion and angry tweets are not the way to deliberate. We already do universal background checks, at least the enforceable ones. No one can stop illegal sales on the street. Data is available on violent felonies plead down to misdemeanors leading to shorter sentences for truly evil people. Data overwhelmingly supports the reality that 50% of the murders occur in just 2% of the counties. Perhaps enforcement of existing law needs to happen before we pass more laws that won’t be enforced. Perhaps metropolitan areas should pay more attention to public safety, education, and building communities than turning their backs to the problem.

    Violence no matter the instrument is a complex problem that has nothing to do with the tool. Lawmakers bowing to special interests instead of the real problems is the compromise. What we really need is consensus and metrics to monitor if a law solves the problem or contributes to it. It takes a bit of courage to explain to constituents that the problems are caused by something different to the narrative.

    • TJ,

      You are correct. And we are able to look back on the history of the whole world, and learn what works, and what fails. We know more about human nature than any people who have lived before us, or we should. We have watched communism, or whatever you want to call big government solutions, be tried and tried only to fail each time since 1917.

      We have seen the great material success of the United States. We know most of the people in the world want to live with us, or live like us. And that includes so-called minorities (my guess is everyone who is not what we used to call “oriental” is a minority in the world). Even the descendants of people brought here as slaves rarely return to Africa. They stay right here with us “white devils.” America was a success story, and everybody knows it. Yet, too many voters in America see all the problems we have, and still, they continue to vote for Democrats. Voters are becoming dumberer and dumberer.

  8. After 3 whole days, it is apparent that President Biden has no concern whatsoever with doing anything to help the average American citizen. His slew of executive orders-flooding the country with illegal aliens, destroying our energy independence, ruining sports for young girls, etc…are nothing but payback to all the special interest groups and their billionaire backers for removing his Democratic competition in the primaries. His concept of unity only involves everyone bowing to his commands. In addition, the American concept of equality for all has been replaced with equity for all, and equity enforced by unchecked government power. If you know anyone that voted for him and starts bitching about these things, feel free to tell them to shut the f… up.

  9. I think the snowballs will be melting pretty quickly on that proposal. There are many anti gun people that continually question why the NRA are so “intractable” on firearms issues. What they fail to understand is what Mas explained. No matter how often our side were prepared to give an inch for compromise, their side always tried to take a yard, and settled on a foot. Always advancing their push, yet never giving up anything. Then, a week later, they would begin again with further one yard demands. It will never end. Eventually, the NRA and most other pro gun groups saw the light, and drew a line in the sand. All of us need to understand why that line is there, and until we do, we will never advance our desire for sensible relevant logic on firearms issues… Because our opponents are not sensible, and do not use logic. They become irrational and stupid when gun issues are discussed, and you can’t fix stupid!

  10. I could see some action in that direction, but it would likely be accompanied by a move to insure that only the politically reliable dad access to the means to carry.

    Another gesture, while not exactly on topic, would be explicit direction-and action- that the proposed investigation into political extremism cover both ends of the political spectrum.

    • I need to proof read better before posting.

      Also, how about some recognition that the issue isn’t the existence of the hardware, but the misuse of same and appropriate penalties for those who commit said misuse. Instead of banning, say “high capacity magazines” make them aggravating factors in sentencing. Say 5 years consecutive for each count.

      Leaving the legal protection in place for the companies who manufacture said items would also be high on the list. GM doesn’t get sued when someone uses their products in a crime.

  11. On the issue of compromise, I suggest we consider these quotes from Ayn Rand:

    A compromise is an adjustment of conflicting claims by mutual concessions. This means that both parties to a compromise have some valid claim and some value to offer each other. And this means that both parties agree upon some fundamental principle which serves as a base for their deal.

    There can be no compromise on basic principles. There can be no compromise on moral issues. There can be no compromise on matters of knowledge, of truth, of rational conviction.

    There can be no compromise between a property owner and a burglar; offering the burglar a single teaspoon of one’s silverware would not be a compromise, but a total surrender—the recognition of his right to one’s property.

  12. The Democrats idea of unity is all of us under one thumb. Their gun control is not about safety but about control. As many have said before, take away the ability to own and use firearms and you take away our ability to oppse an oppressive government. Have we learned nothing since Concord? Look at where Venezuela is now and where it was 50 years ago. 50 years ago it was one of the most prosperious countries in South America. Today, it’s people are starving. This is where we are headed, I fear. Not happy with the stimulus payouts because someone has to pay for them. There ain’t no free lunch. .02 and worth every dime.

  13. I’m thinking that the relationship you have with your friend is a rare one, these days.

    In today’s ultra-partisan politics, one’s ideological opponents are typically seen, not as simply being mistaken, but as being bad people. Friendships between people holding radically-differing views are unusual.

    And if we take the words of the Second Amendment at face value: that our RKBA “shall not be infringed”– that even the outermost edges, the fringes, of those rights, are inviolate– then it’s clear that *those rights have long ago compromised*

    And it also seems clear that for many of the anti-gunners, their goal is to completely disarm law-abiding citizens, by any means necessary. They see the 2nd Amendment as an unfortuate barrier to accomplishing that goal; and are coming up with ever-more-creative ways to try and get around it.

    You can see evidence of this in the multi-faceted approach they’re taking— they want to outlaw the domestic manufacture and sales of hi-cap mags and magazine-fed semi-autos; confiscate existing guns through “mandatory buy-backs’; outlaw online sales of guns and ammo; outlaw importation of foreign-made firearms; enact prohibitive taxes on guns, mags, and ammo; and enact liability laws which will drive gun manufacturers out of business— anything they could think of, by which our RKBA can be effectively circumvented, without actually amending the Constitution. Throw them all against the wall, see if any of them stick.

    That’s why I’d expect that your friend will get nowhere, should he try to reason with his anti-gun Dem friends: because the radical anti-gunners have no intention of compromising, despite what they might be saying.

    And despite Biden insisting that what he wants is unity, I’m pretty sure that the ‘unity’ he’s envisioning is entirely one-sided: a ‘unity’ accomplished by us agreeing with him. I haven’t seen any evidence that he actually means what he says.

    But hey, maybe your friend’s experience will ‘red pill’ him. You can always hope….

    • If Mas’ friend tries to come up with a compromise, the Left will probably cancel him. Reminds me of Jesus’ words, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine.” That includes items which can come with pearl grips.

    • You seem to be the only person not criticising the dems for being uncompromising, while being unwilling to concede anything themselves.
      But I thought gun owners were against smart guns. So are you really compromising?
      Or have gun owners changed on this?

    • There is no reliable form of “smart gun” technology currently available.
      Calls for “smart gun” mandates are nothing but a veiled form of firearm prohibition (if it’s not a “smart gun” it can’t be sold, but there are no “smart guns”). Also, the development and implementation of “smart gun” technology will dramatically increase the cost of firearms – which will limit the availability. “Smart guns” will simply be out of the budget of many/most.
      Taking these things into consideration, it would be an unwise move to “give up ‘smart gun’ technology for national concealed carry reciprocity”.

      • Tom606,

        I think I’ll get that custom printed on a T-shirt. I also like, “Don’t carry a gun. Carry two.”

      • Good idea Roger. I always carry at least 2 guns, several magazines, some knives and a flashlight on me when away from the house and have a rifle and a few edged weapons in my car.

  14. Concede! HA! Every single gun law and background check is unconstitutional and therefore illegal….let’s start there however the communist Democrats will supports reciprocity once they have a national registry of firearms and ammunition…then they’ll just take what’s left after that. Our founding fathers would’ve been stacking tyrants by now while simultaneously causing a rope shortage.
    It’s time We the People act like our founding fathers.

  15. I’m thinking that the relationship you have with your friend is a rare one these days.

    In today’s ultra-partisan politics, one’s ideological opponents are typically seen— not as simply being mistaken— but as being *bad people*. Friendships between people holding radically-differing views are unusual.

    And if we take the words of the Second Amendment at face value: that our RKBA “shall not be infringed”– that even the outermost edges, the fringes, of those rights, are inviolate– then it’s clear that *those rights have long ago been compromised*

    And it also seems clear that for many of the anti-gunners, their goal is to completely disarm law-abiding citizens, > by any means necessary. They see the 2nd Amendment as an unfortuate barrier to accomplishing that goal; and are coming up with ever-more-creative ways to try and get around it.

    You can see evidence of this in the multi-faceted approach they’re taking: they want to:

    ~ outlaw the domestic manufacture and sales of hi-cap mags and magazine-fed semi-autos;
    ~ confiscate existing guns through “mandatory buy-backs’;
    ~ outlaw online sales of guns and ammo;
    ~ outlaw importation of foreign-made firearms;
    ~ enact prohibitive taxes on guns, mags, and ammo;
    ~ and enact liability laws which will drive gun manufacturers out of business—

    anything they could think of, by which our RKBA could be effectively circumvented, *without actually amending the Constitution*. Throw them all against the wall, see if any of them stick.

    That’s why I’d expect that your friend will get nowhere, should he try to reason with his anti-gun Dem friends: because the radical anti-gunners have no intention of compromising, despite what they might be saying.

    And despite Biden insisting that what he wants is unity, I’m pretty sure that the ‘unity’ he’s envisioning is entirely one-sided: a ‘unity’ which will be accomplished only by us agreeing with him. I haven’t seen any evidence that he actually means what he says.

    But hey, maybe your friend’s experience will ‘red pill’ him. You can always hope….

  16. I would tell him:

    Deep down, we all agree there exists weapons of war — weapons of mass slaughter that have no place on our city’s streets. One hint that a weapon falls into that category is that no domestic law enforcement agency _uses_ such a weapon.

    If you want credibility and to establish good faith, do not try to ban anything that domestic law enforcement (including the President’s Secret Service team) needs to use, and what you do ban, there should be no exemption for domestic law enforcement other than for possession. Do not try to ban _anything_ while giving an exemption for use by on-duty police. If police need it, then we need it when police are not around.

    And if you want to impose such restrictions, even on states that don’t want them, show your good faith by forcing other states to _remove_ some of their restrictions on guns.

  17. On Jan. 6 a mob invaded the Capital (which should never have happened). Not one of them had any type of firearm.

    Speaker Pelosi immediately:
    1. Had metal detectors installed;
    2. Passed a House rule disarming members of Congress (the people attacked, not the ones attacking);
    3. Instituted heavy fines for members bypassing the metal detectors.

    When Rep. Lauren Boebert objected to wasting time standing in line at metal detectors, which would have no effect on unarmed (or armed) demonstrators, she was asked why pro-gun folks always make everything about the Second Amendment.

    That’s the anti-gun mindset.

  18. Of course they want unity; they want us to unite behind their agendas and blindly follow their leadership. No thanks.

  19. It would be funny to find out how many people took their $600 and bought guns/ammo. $1400 coming soon. Time to buy some durable goods that at least will be worth something when hyper-inflation kicks in. Too bad ammo prices are so high.

    • I already have the guns and ammo, so my $600 is going towards food and other supplies to keep me going when the SHTF. It’s the same stuff hordes of illegal invaders are coming soon up to the U.S.A. to take.

      That’s one of the reasons Demoncrats want guns banned. They don’t want good Americans having the most effective means to defend their hard earned property from these determined permanent visitors.

  20. They aren’t even remotely interested in unity, by the traditional definition. They’re only interested in complete capitulation. They only want for us to say, “I sorry massa, I be good, I won’t think for myself
    no more. You can take all my stuff and give it to your deadbeat supporters”!
    As you did, I speak for myself, I personally have no interest in unity with them! I am adamantly against EVERYTHING they stand for.

    • No, Charles, it’s really not. Who was more liberal than Mark Benenson, head of Amnesty International? Or Professor Don B. Kates, who was one of the Freedom Riders? They and more were stalwarts of the Second Amendment. A true liberal, if you think about it, supports the right for EVERY law-abiding citizen to protect themselves and those for whom they are responsible.

      • Ron Kuby. I have heard him confess to being a communist on the radio, and he is also openly pro-Second Amendment. If I remember correctly, he became interested in the Second Amendment long ago when someone was stalking Ron and his girlfriend.

  21. Crooked Joe’s and his evil Socialist party’s idea of unity is the same as Vladimir Lenin’s “Workers of the World, Unite!”

  22. The only unity that our elite overlords are interested in seeing is the unity of a herd of sheep turning and moving in perfect harmony to the instructions issued by Big Brother Shepherd and his sheep dogs.

    Furthermore, the American Left currently has no interest in compromise of any sort. With the combined POWER of Big Tech, Global Business, Big Media, Academia and the Government Deep State at their backs, they feel no need to compromise with anybody over anything.

    From their point of view, they have us over a barrel and we have no choice but to OBEY. So let it be written, so let it be done!

    That is what they think. What need have they to compromise or make even the least of concessions to the deplorables? They feel EXALTED and they REVEL in their POWER like any totalitarian would when he thinks that he has vanquished all opposition.

    • The latest leftist revolutionary coup will faithfully come a full revolution and sharply strike an economical brick wall. Meanwhile, everybody gets more equity, all right. We all just get poorer as inflation erodes buying power, and increased tax burdens on the middle class discourage the most productive people, while profitable entrepreneurship declines. All with increased operating costs, along with funding a plague-exploiting health system. Crime gets worse as law enforcement is depleted, resulting in a greater need for citizens to deploy weapons, followed by fundamentally unjust detainment and further financial burdens. #$%&!

  23. If a person is pro-gun they are not liberal at least not by the current definition of the word. Professor Don B. Kates and Mark Benenson were what I would call old school “classical liberals”. People who call themselves liberal today are better defined as “totalitarian”. I share a lot more in common with classical liberals than I do with today’s so-called conservatives.

  24. Pro-gun liberal? Something I came across on a lady’s website many years ago:

    “When people ask me why I carry concealed when I’m a liberal, I reply that I am liberal, not an idiot.”

    • Fruitbat44,

      I think liberals/Leftists want guns for themselves, but not for us. Hitler wanted the concentration camp guards to have guns, not the prisoners. Fidel Castro wanted his guards to be armed, but not the people.

      • Roger Wilco

        Some Liberals give the impression they fear, that when the (hypothetical) round-ups of the “undesirables” occur, they’ll be the undesirables, and it’ll be the “conservatives” who’ll be rounding them up using their privately owned firearms.

        You ever come across a T-Shirt:

        “If guns are outlawed, how will we shoot the Liberals?”

        Okay, it’s obviously just some harmless yuks in, dubious, taste. But, maybe not so funny if you consider yourself a liberal.

  25. I would concede the following to get support/not approval for the bipartisan National Concealed Carry Reciprocity bill now before Congress.
    1. Turn in all AR47/AK15s.
    2. Turn in all guns or clips that hold more then 6 rounds.
    3. Turn in all ammo in personal storage that exceed 100 rounds per caliber.
    These are simple concession, that any reasonable person would approve of.

  26. I heard a good definition of the Left’s (left is NOT liberal…they are left of liberal) ‘unity’ today.

    It is: The absence of dissenting thought or opinion. Implied: Come to my way of thinking and/or wipe out all thought that is not in line with ours.

    • Tom,

      You are correct. I am against Leftists, not liberals. Liberals have different beliefs than I do, but they will not force me to believe and live their way. Leftists are tyrants who want to force me to live in their “utopia.” Historically, the USA has not been kind to tyrants. Even to tyrants who never set foot here but tyrannize other places, like France, the Phillipines, South Korea, South Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Virgina motto is “Sic Semper Tyrannis.” Latin for “Thus also to tyrants,” or “Death to tyrants.”

  27. Your friend may be rational and reasonable when dealing with you, but when he speaks to his rabid, far left compatriots he dare not utter one syllable of reason, logic or sense lest he be attacked just as you would be in speaking with them.
    And he knows it, so he will remain silent.

  28. We are now nothing more than a glorified Banana republic ruled by a two-party dictatorship….I would like to see the emergence of a Patriot or MAGA party as this would probably be the last chance of salvaging our constitutional republic.

  29. How about a MAGA third party with Ivanka as president. She is smarter than the rest of those bozos put together and would be the first female and first Jewish president. Sorry Kamala, I meant first elected female president. I know you’ll be president soon.

    • Mark, are you absolutely certain that Aunt Kamala is a female? 🙂

      I see that Crooked Joe has never tried to smell this person’s hair.

  30. Yes, in a display of incredible optimism, Congressman Hudson introduced that bill this month in the face of a Democrat-controlled Congress…

    Maybe I’m too cynical, but I don’t see this as a “display of optimism”. Why is that, do you ask?

    … when in the recent past, with Republicans in control of the White House and the Senate, it had been deemed inexpedient to push….

    That, right there. Republican politicians largely don’t care about gun rights. They’ll talk a big game during elections, but when push comes to shove, they don’t support us. It’s just like repealing the Affordable Care Act: Every GOP pol promised to undo it ASAP, and voted for dozens of repeal bills, knowing that the Democrat in the White House would veto every one if he ever saw them.

    When Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House, we got … crickets. No repeal bills filed.

    Gun rights are the same. Big talk on the campaign trail, but the only actual bills get filed against a hostile Democrat majority and are therefore doomed to failure from the start. When Republicans control the whole federal government, we get … crickets. It’s “deemed inexpedient,” or there’s “not enough support” (in a room full of people who used this exact issue to get IN the room), or it’s “not a priority for this term,” and “we’ll try again next term,” invariably when the Dems will be able to stymie.

    Every. F@#$ing. Time.

    So you’ll have to forgive me for concluding — from the history and evidence — that Republicans care for expanding gun rights about as much as Democrats do.

    • Archer,

      I used to vote in every election and primary. I considered it my civic duty. To not vote would mean I didn’t appreciate the sacrifice made by so many young Americans through the years. Some of them fought for our rights, and some fought for the rights of other countries.

      But I just watched two fraudulent elections; one federal and the other in Georgia. The media tell me that fraud was not significant enough to alter the outcome. Rudy Giuliani tells me otherwise. I believe Rudy.

      I may never vote again. Why vote when the DemonRats can steal the election?

      • Notice that the Democrats say that they plan to keep thousands of National Guard troops in Washington well into March. The Blue Devils might be afraid that Donald J. Trump will change his mind about leaving and take advantage of the Constitutional provision for a deadline up to March 4 for continuing a standing President in office in case of a lack of a legally established new POTUS. By now 100,000,000 Trump fans might carry Donald J. back into Washington on their shoulders for a new election.

      • Roger, if you don’t vote, it just makes the Demoncrat’s lives easier. My mission is to make their jobs as difficult as possible. Besides, the liberals who are inherently lazy, may become overconfident and slip up.

  31. Unity?
    Let me think….
    An attempt to Impeach a private citizen by arguing that the punishment phase of Impeachment is severable from the trial phase of Impeachment, and, in effect, that that little comma means nothing…
    An omgoing attempt to take our right to keep and bear arms by rejecting severability of militia and the right of the people to keep and bear arms based on that little comma meaning everything….
    Your liberal friend is naive, though he may, as private friend to the Clintons, be allowed in the inner circle, and allowed special privileges. Maybe he should read about Trotsky…might learn something.

    • Leon Trotsky was ‘epsteined’ by his former comrades.

      HillBilly have left a long trail of bodies in their political wake over the years. Many of those bodies were never found.

  32. Donald J. Trump is carrying the ball for a new “third” party. Dan Bongino says that will only serve the Democrats. Whatever we do, election reform is first on the list. See Bongino for more planning. Trump, Bongino, Dennis Prager, Mark Levin, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and a lot more incredible winners can get us together by the 2022 primaries. We can make a unified choice of action, and win. Trump can be training and grooming others who are near his level to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile, political savvy is paramount, while we preserve the 2nd Amendment. Yes, look at how Solzhenitsyn showed that Russian citizens could even have used clubs to stop the murdering Bolsheviks. One prefers .30-06, though.

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