The College Fix

People won’t give up their guns if government won’t prosecute and incarcerate criminals. Period.

The president of the nation’s second largest teachers union this week called for the U.S. to do “what other great democracies” have done regarding gun violence.

Referring to American gun violence as an “epidemic,” Randi Weingarten used the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee to “renew [the] call for common sense gun safety legislation, including a ban on assault weapons.”

“It’s an epidemic that our great nation must solve,” Weingarten said. “And how many lives will be shattered before we have the courage to do what Scotland did, what Australia did, what New Zealand did, what other great democracies do? We must solve this epidemic, and that’s up to us.”

Weingarten later complained to MSNBC that her words had been “doctored” to indicate she wanted total gun confiscation in the country. But as noted above (and as you can see in the video provided by Fox News below), Weingarten merely includes an assault weapons ban in a package of “common sense” reforms.

What really is the eye-opener, however, is the invocation of the noted countries. If Weingarten just wants to ban so-called assault weapons, why bring up Australia, New Zealand and Scotland?

In 1996, Australia severely curtailed private firearms ownership following a mass shooting. Its federal government initiated a mandatory buyback plan, and new restrictions require a license to own even a handgun. And get this: Personal defense is not a valid reason to apply for a license.

MORE: Like much of the Left’s vision, ‘restorative discipline’ ignores the real world

A mass shooting at a school in Scotland that same year led to the United Kingdom banning handguns. And New Zealand banned “most semi-automatic weapons” after a 2019 mass shooting in that country.

Penalties for violating these countries’ gun laws can result in at least several years’ imprisonment. Statistics on the effectiveness of their bans/laws are varied, as are those regarding the U.S.’s  1994 assault weapons ban, the reinstatement of which President Biden has been calling for.

But why would anyone who’s not a progressive elitist want to emulate these countries? Crime has been through the roof the last few years, especially in our big cities, all the while liberal elected officials have refused to prosecute criminals. Even the Washington Post expressed its dismay.

An Australia-style law — where personal defense is not a valid reason to own a gun? In Democrat-run America? Pardon my guffaw.

Here’s the deal, Ms. Weingarten (and all the progressives who’ve been beyond vociferous about “democracy”): The only way you’ll legitimately get Australia/New Zealand/U.K.-style gun restrictions is to repeal the Second Amendment. And that is not going to happen any time in near future because 1) Democrats aren’t likely to get two-thirds of both houses of Congress to pass a repeal, but even if they somehow did 2) there’s no way 38 states will then agree.

To quote Marco from Tropoja:

Notice I said “legitimately.” If Biden or any of his constitutionally inept cadre attempt a progressively inventive method of subverting the Second Amendment, unfortunately I fear we’ll witness an abject lesson on why that amendment was ratified in the first place.

MORE: A letter to progressive scholars: Second Amendment lies hurt your credibility

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