A New Perspective on Gun Rights – Be careful what you ask for
Be Careful What You Ask For
A much longer article I wrote in 2018 called for framing gun violence as a public health issue. It provided statistics, regulatory suggestions, relevant videos, and a history of opposing views from the National Rifle Association and others. But today I saw a November 2025 article in WIRED Magazine. “The Hard-Left Shooters Leading a Gun Culture Revolution” caused me to rethink my position and adds a new perspective of gun rights that now seems more important than ever. I’ll edit my original article to add this view from gun advocates in the far-left, antifascist, queer, and trans communities.
Under today’s politically divisive and runaway regime of Donald Trump, where the President regularly sends troops into American cities, and citizens are lawlessly arrested, there’s an increased risk he’ll try to disarm his political opponents. With that in mind, the debate over gun rights and regulatory oversight has become more difficult. Those on the left who traditionally would call for greater gun control legislation, are now being careful what they ask for. That doesn’t mean we should pause the debate but instead make sure we’re asking the right questions, with the right objectives and incentives.
How to Regulate Guns and Gun Ownership
A statistic mentioned in my longer article is that 75% of Americans want Congress to do more to reduce gun violence. According to this Quinnipiac University poll, 97% of responders support universal background checks, 83% support a mandatory waiting period, and 70% favor registering all guns with the police. But won’t gun licensing and registration lead to confiscation?
The NRA and gun enthusiasts would often say, “One of the first things Hitler did when he seized power was to impose gun registration laws to make it easier for his troops to disarm his opponents.” Donald Trump is arguably following the same authoritarian playbook, and the worry is he could do the same. I go much deeper into the history of the Second Amendment in my earlier article and encourage readers to take a look.
A related article chronicled my visit to a large gun show in Lewisville, TX, where I learned more about America’s gun culture, how easy it is to buy a gun with no background checks, and what sorts of guns and most popular. That too is worth reading.
In this video, a 13-year-old boy is unable to to buy beer, cigarettes, adult magazines and lottery tickets. But then he just walked into a gun show and walk out with a gun, because anyone can buy one in a private sale. You don’t need a license or permit, and you don’t need a background check, except when buying from a federally licensed gun dealer. And there’s no enforceable age limit.
