Imagine it:
A national tragedy occurs, innocent Americans killed. As a people we are shocked, upset, angry, hurting. We barely have all the facts, but what we do know is that a horrifying crime was committed, an attack on innocent people that wounded us all. Something must be done!
Amid the maelstrom of words and emotions, an enemy emerges. A narrative is built against that enemy. despite the lack of evidence that they were responsible for the attack. They have weapons that can be used in a similar attack. They must be disarmed. They must submit to restrictions, sanctions, weapons inspections. We demand it, because we're convinced that doing so might prevent another tragedy whether there's any evidence of that or not. Because we have to do something. The wound is too deep and raw to accept any inability to act, even if against a scapegoat.
The enemy protests it's innocence and repeats that it had nothing to do with the horrifying attack. It's sympathetic, but it refuses to take blame for something it insists it had nothing to do with. It asserts it's right to possess weapons for self-defense and refuses to cooperate with what it feels are unreasonable demands. It's prepared to accept certain reasonable limits on type and number of weapons, and restrictions on who may possess them. It's certainly amenable to disarming criminals who would attack innocents. It in no way supports these rogue actors and does not support arming them. However, they refuse to accept collective punishment for the crimes of an isolated few. And they rightfully fear that the reasonable restrictions proposed are merely a pretext for disarming them entirely and leaving them utterly defenseless. They worry that the enforcement regime will cause them harm, and will be an unbearable assault on their rights and freedoms. They don't trust that it will stop at merely reasonable restrictions, and that the more they surrender now the less they'll be able to resist later.
But we will not accept those excuses! They must be disarmed! If they will not cooperate willingly, we'll bring the full weight of law to bear against them. And if that does not work, we'll enforce the law, oh yes we will. We will go to war to take their weapons that we have declared unlawful and we will capture and kill all who resist.
Sound familiar? It should. But it's not 9/11/01. It's 12/14/12.
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