Tomorrow, we’ll hear all about the ad Michael Bloomberg paid to air during the Super Bowl. It was a typically manipulative affair narrated by children over a faltering version of “America the Beautiful.” The only point made was that the NRA once supported instant background checks, and that those checks should be expanded to cover all firearms sales.
The omissions are what interest me. Gone from their argument is the call to ban military-pattern rifles and limit magazine capacity. Weren’t these the very things they said we needed to do to prevent tragedies like Sandy Hook from happening again? Apparently, those supposedly dire issues have been sidelined for the sake of political expediency.
Perhaps they’re noticing their diminishing relevance in the public consciousness. Circling the wagons around one specific issue may seem like a sound move, but it’s too late.
Case in point: last month, Governor Cuomo strongarmed a bill through the legislature that will leave New Yorkers virtually disarmed, and he did it without giving them any chance to register their opposition or concerns. It’s a glaring example of the arrogance and brutishness of the gun-control movement, and it was fully and eagerly endorsed by the Brady Campaign. Squaring something like that with claims of compromise and reasonableness won’t be easy for them at this point.
If there’s a unifying force in the movement at this point, it’s Bloomberg’s checkbook. If this is all he can buy, they’re in dire straits indeed.