In the contentious debate over gun control, a lot of name-calling and shaming is doled out to folks on both sides of the aisle.
A wrinkle has been added to the discussion, however, over whether or not pro-Second Amendment advocates have descended into bullying the other side if they either misconstrue a “clip” for a “magazine” or say that the “AR” in AR-15 stands for “assault rifle” and not “Armalite rifle.”
Let’s be clear, there are definitely bullies in the discussion, and it poisons the well of open and honest debate. Adam Weinstein of Task & Purpose fairly points out in the Washington Post that personalities like NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and Fox News pundit Tomi Lahren have engaged in such behavior that belittles their political adversary in an attempt to shut down the discussion.
Say what you will about the debate tactics of Loesch and Lahren, but the two are pretty much faced with death threats every day. What’s more, they’re often dealing with adversaries in debate who seem to misuse terminology on purpose when it helps add some emotional energy to their argument.
Still, is “gunsplaining” really considered bullying when the other side repeatedly refuses to take the time to get their basic facts right in a debate? Not really. If you want to point out distinctions being made between what constitutes a “school shooting,” it’s helpful to know what is a fact and what is not. If you’re still out promoting the widely-debunked narrative that there were 18 school shootings in the first 45 days of 2018, like former President Barack Obama did this week, then you’re not really contributing to an open and honest discussion about guns. There’s no shame in anyone pointing that out.
Likewise, it’s okay to admit that you don’t know everything there is to know about guns. I’ll be the first to tell you that about myself. But if you’re going to speak on guns with some level of authority, as so many Democratic lawmakers and reporters featured in this Washington Free Beacon video try to do, then you have to know what you’re talking about.
Just imagine if pro-life advocates made a habit of constantly and carelessly using the word “semester” instead of “trimester” in the abortion debate. Planned Parenthood would use the resulting material in fundraising emails, pointing and laughing at how dumb it is. Well, that’s roughly the equivalent of what we’re dealing with here. It doesn’t help to mock the ignorant, but the ignorant should also take the time to learn what they’re talking about.
So, can we please get back to the matter at hand and figure out how we can work together to reduce these mass casualty shootings in our country? We’re too busy flinging garbage at the other side to even sit down and sort everything out. We’re better than this.
Siraj Hashmi is a commentary video editor and writer for the Washington Examiner.
