After every shooting that makes headlines, there are inevitable calls for gun control – that always seem to subside within just a few weeks. Even following the recent Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which sparked a youth-led movement calling for more gun control, public opinion only changed for a couple of weeks before returning to what it was before the tragedy.
If socially acceptable, there’s no doubt in my mind that the typical position among Democrats in power would be to ban firearms outright. But because public opinion makes it impossible to openly hold such a position in elected office, they tone themselves down, promising to fight “assault weapons,” or anything easier to fear-monger over. Even if there was evidence that gun control works if Democrats were looking to save lives, why would they go after assault weapons, which are responsible for fewer than 3% of firearms deaths? (RELATED: This Is Exactly Why More Gun Control Won’t Stop Mass Public Shootings).
The gun control issue is one that Democrats would have given up long ago if they knew what was good for them. And some already are attempting to keep their anti-gun stances private.
According to the Daily Wire, “Tedra Cobb, who’s trying to unseat Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), was caught on video making the claim during a campaign event with teenage supporters, according to Stephen Gutowski at The Washington Free Beacon, who obtained the audio.”
In the recording, Cobb says “When I was at this thing today, it was the first table I was at, a woman said, ‘How do you feel about assault rifles?’ And I said they should be banned. And I said, you know, people were getting up to go, to go get their lunch because it was a buffet, and I just said to her, I want you to know Cindy, I cannot say that.”
Cobb then described how the woman named Cindy pushed back to her spineless (but wise) comment. “And she said, ‘Well, I want you to’ and I said, ‘I won’t win,'” Cobb said. “I said Moms Demand [Action] says, and [member of New York chapter of Moms Demand] Tricia Pleau said, ‘Do not say that you want an assault rifle ban because you will not win.'” Yes – even Moms Demand Action of all groups know the public doesn’t want what they’re selling.
In response to the leaked footage, Cobb’s campaign issued a statement to The Post Star, telling the paper “There are a lot of common-sense things we need to do right now to make our kids safer without getting stuck on a stalemate issue like an assault weapons ban that would not pass this Congress and would not get signed by this president.” Her defense doesn’t make any sense though. Cobb said she couldn’t advocate for an assault weapons ban because she wouldn’t be able to get elected if she was honest about her positions. It had nothing to do with the practicality of passing gun control legislation – legislation she clearly personally favors.
It is telling of national opinion, however, when Cobb is afraid of having her pro-gun control stance known in a State as liberal as New York. If even New York voters wouldn’t accept increased gun control, who else will?
The American people know where the Democrat Party stands on gun control, and they don’t like it. As such, Democrats like Cobb are desperately trying to hide their anti-gun policies in order to trick voters into supporting their candidacies, but we will expose them.
