The GOP have democrats on the defensive on many fronts including masks & vaccines, voter suppression, and the Texas anti-abortion law. It’s the last one which was achieved with the help of the Supreme Court that I want to address.
Several have already suggested the “two can play that game” approach and I heartily concur. So.. we need a blue-controlled legislature and Governor to pass a law outlawing semi-automatic guns with the same bounty structure as the Texas law. Any blue state will do.
The target of course would be the gun shop owners who could face a mountain of lawsuits. Seems to me if the Supreme Court looks at it they would have three options:
1. Rule as they did in Texas. In this case unless a state court intervenes, gun shops might have to close. Even if a state court intervenes as was the case in Texas, at least the GOP will understand that two really can play at this game.
2. Strike it down, including at least in part due to the bounty structure. Here, I think that would also invalidate the Texas law.
3. Strike it down under the 2nd amendment but not rule on the bounty structure. This would expose an enormous hypocrisy as the court refused to rule on the merits of the abortion matter.
Under the scenarios I can see, this move shows upside potential and serves notice on the GOP that democrats are tired of playing defense on politics. Who knows, maybe there would even be some forward motion on the matter of gun control.
So.. is there a blue state willing to take a shot or are we just going to see the red states act in the wake of the disastrous Supreme Court decision? That is the question.