Country music couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are, no pun intended, under fire on social media for remarks that have appeared in several publications, including Rolling Stone, in which McGraw reportedly stated “there is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control.”
The gun prohibition lobby has campaigned for years with the argument that what this country needs is “common sense gun safety” legislation. They want “common sense gun reform.”
In Washington State, special election winner Manka Dhingra told KING 5 News, the NBC affiliate in Seattle, that her legislative priorities include “sensible gun legislation.”
What, exactly, are all of these people talking about? More importantly, would these restrictions pass strict scrutiny under the Second Amendment?
Interestingly, a piece that appeared in The Hill under the bylines of David Kopel and Joseph Greenlee detailed many restrictions that seem popular with gun control advocates (and probably a couple that aren’t). It was not until the final paragraphs that they noted:
“Every one of the above restrictions is already federal law, and has been for decades. A few of these date back to the 1980s or 1990s. Most of them are from the Gun Control Act of 1968. The tax and registration laws on automatics are from the National Firearms Act of 1934.
“For decades researchers have found that many Americans do not understand how strict gun control laws already are. Some elected officials and journalists are similarly misinformed. Widespread ignorance about existing law makes things easier for anti-gun lobbyists who always insist that every notorious crime proves that we need more gun control laws.”
Country star McGraw may fall in there somewhere, having stated, “They want to make it about the Second Amendment every time it’s brought up. It’s not about the Second Amendment.”
All due respect to McGraw, gun rights activists are using social media, and perhaps their cash, to declare that it most certainly is about the Second Amendment. If, as McGraw and Hill (the singers, not the publishers), certain firearms should be banned from civilian ownership, it is definitely about the Second Amendment, activists will argue.
Reaction in the firearms community to what the singers said may best be illustrated by remarks posted to the Florida Carry Facebook page.
Still, the question remains for any advocates of “common sense gun laws.” What are they talking about? What’s on the list? Does the agenda include:
- Ban semi-auto modern sporting rifles?
- Ban cartridge magazines that hold more than 10 rounds?
- Prohibit concealed carry?
- Prohibit open carry?
- Limit the number of firearms someone can own?
- Extreme vetting of potential gun buyers?
- License all gun owners?
- Register all firearms?
Now the most important question of all for proponents of “common sense gun control.”
What other individual right protected by the Constitution is subject to this kind of scrutiny? Can anyone identify another right delineated in the Bill of Rights that faces such restrictions?
