Marc Abear: Measures proposed as knee jerk reaction to incident suffer from constitutional, practical defects

To The Daily Sun,

What happened in Uvalde and in Buffalo is horrifying. No one should ever have to experience that type of unfathomably traumatic event. Who can imagine what those families are going through right now? Everybody with a soul is shattered over their pain.

We have been shattered every single time, from Columbine to Uvalde. When we oppose certain policies in the wake of unspeakable tragedy, it is not because gun control advocates have a monopoly on outrage. It is not because we are somehow insensitive to the suffering of our neighbors. That is the media portrayal.

But we oppose these policies precisely because the lives of these victims mattered. We oppose these policies because the grief of their loved ones is real. We oppose these policies because we all want thriving communities where families are flourishing instead of burying their children.

The opposition to certain policies in the wake of these tragedies has always been a genuine concern. Those policies suffer from serious constitutional and practical defects. We have always proposed alternatives that are more effective. They are alternatives which are less constitutionally suspect.

What we have rarely been met with are open ears, hearts or minds. Here’s hoping, for the nation’s sake that today is different. In the aftermath of horrific events there is an unfortunate tendency on the part of some to reflexively demand Congress pass a host of extreme gun control measures.

Measures proposed in a knee jerk reaction to an incident suffer from serious constitutional and practical defects. When anyone dares question the constitutionally, practicality, or effectiveness of these policy proposals, their legitimate concerns are brushed aside. Viable alternatives are castigated as frivolous. Their opposition is immediately framed as callousness or cowardice. This is not the foundation of good public policy.

Marc Abear

Meredith