One gun law added on

Jonathan McLeod in reply to NewDealer says:

First, to be clear, “Suppose you are right” is not the correct formulation, as this is an opposite day post, I don’t actually hold this position. Now, to your questions:

There’s a big split on gun laws, and a lot of it is the red state vs. blue state (to use an American phrasing) sort of thing, as well as an urban vs rural divide. I would say that gun control is generally pretty popular, with most people disagreeing at the margins of the issue, rather than the core.

That being said, there appears to be a growing movement of gun-right activists (essentially calling for our own second amendment, even using its wording) who are trying to change things.

To your last question, personally, I think elected officials have to consider both the will of their constituents as well as what is good for the nation/province/citizens/whatever. Part of the reason, I would argue, that we elect these representatives is to have people who can focus completely on policy issues, and we need to trust them–to a certain extent–to use their best judgement even if it means making unpopular decisions.

But it really is a balancing act.Report