Today, ten Republican members of the House of Representatives showed their utter contempt for Americans’ constitutional rights by voting to raise the purchasing age for semiautomatic firearms from 18 to 21.
Most of these disreputable members proclaim their interest in freedom and support for members of the military. Such a vote, undercutting service members’ rights, proves that trust in these members is a folly.
We call particular attention to the coward Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island in Congress. Nicole has long shown herself to have poor character and commitment to America First values. We commit to making sure her constituents remember her betrayal of their fundamental rights.
Other cowards joining Nicole in this obscene vote include:
- Fitzpatrick (PA)
- Gonzalez (OH)
- Jacobs (NY)
- Katko (NY)
- Kinzinger (IL)
- Salazar (FL)
- Smith (NJ)
- Turner (OH)
- Upton (MI)
It is easy to virtue signal on guns after the fact by coming up with unnecessary and illegitimate restrictions on Americans’ rights. It is harder to show real leadership. We need to fund mental health support; end familial dysfunction; and stem the influence of social media, traditional media, and entertainment.
We also need to punish bad actors harshly and decisively. School and mass shootings are a tragic consequence of a system that enables criminality. We need district attorneys who lock criminals up, and we need stringent school security measures, including armed guards and physical security infrastructure. We do not need restrictions on law-abiding Americans’ fundamental rights.
Three out of four New Yorkers feel as if they could become a victim of a crime; New York City has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
Three out of four Americans cite our country as heading in the wrong direction.
At its core, the United States has a cultural problem and suffers from a moral decline embodied by Nicole Malliotakis and the nine other members of Congress mentioned above. The problem is a spiritual emptiness whose resolution requires a far more difficult effort than virtue signaling around firearms.