Trump’s Sudden Love of Gun Control Isn’t That Sudden

[EasyAce]

By Jim Geraghty
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/trumps-sudden-love-of-gun-control-isnt-that-sudden/

. . . Donald Trump, Manhattan real-estate mogul who had traveled with his own personal security for years, had never really been a “gun guy.” He says he has a concealed carry permit (hard to get in New York state). In his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, he wrote, “I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun" . . .

. . . Wednesday we learned that the Trump White House. . . might not be all that different from the Clinton White House on guns after all. During a meeting with Vice President Pence and senior senators . . .

* Trump endorsed the Assault Weapons Ban.
* Trump endorsed background checks for private sales at gun shows.
* Trump endorsed raising the age to purchase firearms to 21.
* He declared the top priority of the NRA since Trump’s election, concealed carry reciprocity, “will never pass.” (This bill would ensure that if you have a valid concealed carry permit in your home state, you are allowed to carry a concealed weapon in any state.)
* He contended members of Congress were “petrified of the NRA” and that he was not. “They have great power over you people. They have less power over me.”

Finally, Trump contradicted his own vice president’s assurances about due process and basically contended that the government should seize firearms from people it deems dangerous and go back and get legal justification later . . .

. . . A lot of right-of-center people in my world love the idea of “outsider” lawmakers, who are unsullied by government experience. I keep hearing that “wonky” candidates are boring, because they keep talking about details that few people pay attention to or even care about.

I’d argue that Trump’s epic flip-flop is a demonstration of why conservatives are fools to turn over the power of government to any candidate who hasn’t been fighting the good fight for a long time, and who can’t demonstrate a grasp of key policy details. “Outsider” is turning into a euphemism for “a candidate who can’t be bothered to do his homework" . . .