by Pauline Wolak
Clash Daily Guest Contributor

In an ad set to air this week, Stephen Barton sits alone in an empty theater. He’ll ask the presidential candidates to address gun violence head on. Mr. Barton wants answers. Mr. Barton has the right to ask. After all, he’s a victim of the Aurora theater shooting. “I was lucky, but I’ve seen what happens when dangerous people get their hands on guns. And I think it’s fair to ask the men who want to lead the country to get past the platitudes and give us a serious plan to address a serious problem,” says Barton.

There is such dangerous irony in his statement. And I’m not sure he sees it. Perhaps we should ask President Obama how he feels about putting weapons in the hands of criminals. It may require a subpoena, though. Maybe we could try Eric Holder? Can they explain the nearly 2000 weapons they put in the hands of criminals and thugs? Can they explain it and then pretend to be FOR “gun control?” Can they look Agent Brian Terry’s family in the eyes while they spin another web of lies, half-truths, and denials about what they knew or claim not to have known?

It’s disturbing enough that our Attorney General stands by his story of simply not knowing about Fast and Furious. If he is to be believed, at the very least he’s so incompetent he doesn’t read memos. (I’m sure he’s too busy tracking the wood used to make Gibson guitars to worry about those pesky guns). Now we have to rely on Univision to uncover even more deaths as a result of the gun walking scandal. Mr. Barton really thinks this administration is going to answer questions about guns? Really?

It can be said that in an election year, President Obama isn’t going to touch this issue. He doesn’t want to say he’d ban guns because he’ll lose votes. He doesn’t want to say he won’t change gun laws because he’ll lose votes. Guns will always be one of those hot button issues that no candidate really wants to touch but that a small number of voters consider THE defining issue.

But it’s obvious it goes deeper than that this time around. Can we really discuss gun laws without the Fast and Furious scandal coming up? Can we have an open debate without forcing the President to explain why our own agent was murdered as a result of his administration’s failure? If Mr. Romney is smart, he’ll not only be waiting for the questions about gun control, he’ll be welcoming them.

With all due respect to Mr. Barton, we will always have criminals. There will always be men and women that willfully break our laws. The solution isn’t to create more laws. The solution is to punish the lawbreakers. Banning weapons or creating a barrier to their purchase is simply a knee-jerk reaction. Do we ban cars because people drive drunk?

Responsible gun owners will always be just that; responsible. And criminals will continue to ignore the laws already on the books. Throwing our Constitution in the trash surely won’t change that. Enacting tighter restrictions won’t do it. Heck, our own government proved that. How can we expect criminals to follow the law when we arm them? And how can Mr. Barton or anyone expect honest answers from an administration embroiled in such a scandal?

Image: Irony Mark; public domain

Pauline is a proud stay-at-home wife/mother of three. By “at home” she means everywhere but home. Chairing the school board, jumping into frozen lakes for charity, and fantasy football are three of her favorite things.