A bipartisan endorsed, Democrat-sponsord piece of legislation resulting from the cries of a nation swelling with moral outrage and demanding immediate action.
There's a reason we don't look back on the 1994 Bill as a great moment in American history. As a turning point toward a better tomorrow. Not as a moment when our nation took action for the better, but as a significant mistake from which we are only now beginning to recover.
You can strawman me as a pro-gun lunatic and shower me with all the righteous indignation you can muster. That's fine.
Just know this:
I HAVE lost friends and loved ones to gun violence. And it DOES hurt me way down in the pit of my heart when things like Nashville happen.
My position isn't coming from a 'lack of empathy' for the victims of yesterday. It's coming from a place of empathy for the many thousands who would fall victim to shortsighted regularly prohibitions tomorrow.
Such regulations may be intended to protect schools from lily-white gunmen who usually look like me. But, as always, the primary targets of enforcement will end up being the most vulnerable communities, chiefly poor neighborhoods, immigrant populations, and communities of color.
The most vulnerable among us are those who suffer most from prohibition. Every. Single. Time.