Shannon Watts Swears Moms Demand Action Isn't "Anti-Gun" :: 10/18/2019

And if you believe this I have a lovely bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

“Often people think that because we’re doing this work, we’re anti-gun or we don’t support the Second Amendment. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Watts said in an interview with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett in this week’s episode of “The Takeout” podcast. Watts noted that many volunteers the organization were gun owners or married to gun owners.

“This is simply about restoring the responsibilities that go along with gun rights,” Watts said. She added that while the top priorities for Moms Demand Action are background checks, red-flag laws and disarming domestic abusers, the organization also advocates for an assault weapons ban and has worked with municipalities on the issue.

Want to know how else you can tell that Moms Demand Action is anti-gun? You’ll never hear Shannon Watts say of any gun control proposal, “That goes way too far. In fact it’s unconstitutional.” She can’t even bring herself to say that Beto O’Rourke’s plan to ban and confiscate millions of semi-automatic rifles is too much.

“We’re hearing a lot of innovative ideas come out of the primary season, which is exciting for us, that these candidates are competing for the first time ever to see who can be the best on this issue,” Watts said. “We’re thrilled to see all these ideas be put forward, and it’s really up to the voters to decide what is attractive to them.”

It’s up to the voters to decide? Funny how it’s never up to the voters to decide if they want constitutional carry, or right to carry reciprocity, or even the ability to own an AR-15. The truth is, Watts wants her group to wear that “common sense” label, and that means that there are some topics she’d simply rather avoid talking about.

Watts said that the organization needed to do more research before determining the best way to “adjudicate” an assault weapons ban.

“We need to look at the data to see what would be the most effective way to get those weapons off the streets,” she said.

Is Shannon Watts really claiming that her group has been backing a so-called “assault weapons” ban for nearly seven years, but they’ve never “looked at the data” to figure out how to actually get rid of the guns they want to ban? That’s absolutely laughable, and it’s a damn shame Major Garrett didn’t call her out on that whopper or any of her other claims when he interviewed her for his CBS podcast.

I would have loved to have heard Garrett ask Watts this simple question: “Is there a gun control bill that you’ve seen introduced that you feel violates the Second Amendment?” or maybe “Give me an example of a gun control proposal that you feel goes too far.” That’s a fair question and a logical follow up to the head of a gun control group proclaiming they’re not anti-gun or opposed to the Second Amendment. Unfortunately, Garrett, who describes himself as “relentlessly curious”, was strangely uncurious about delving too deeply into the mindset of the head mom demanding gun control. The result is a series of a softball questions and no pushback or challenging Watts on her claims at all. In other words, a typical media interview with a gun control activist.

Cam Edwards has covered the 2nd Amendment for more than 15 years as a broadcast and online journalist, as well as the co-author of "Heavy Lifting: Grow Up, Get a Job, Start a Family, and Other Manly Advice" with Jim Geraghty. He lives outside of Farmville, Virginia with his family. https://bearingarms.com/author/camedwards/

https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2019/10/18/shannon-watts-swears-moms-demand-action-isnt-anti-gun/