Writer Says Gun Control Won’t Help Lower-Income Black Communities

The Daily Beast published a surprising editorial from a self-described “strong supporter of gun control”: “Hey, White Liberals, the NRA Isn’t the Point.” In this thoughtful piece, the author describes coming to the realization that the gun control pushed by the liberal elite fails to address inner-city violence that claims predominantly black victims: “To be blunt, measures that might prevent another Columbine or Sandy Hook are unlikely to prevent another Chicago.”

While we’d dispute the premise that the type of gun-control measures being proposed work anywhere, we applaud the author for identifying the hollowness of the typical anti-gun narrative. Instead of gun control, she recommends stricter penalties for gun offenders. “So if gun-control supporters really want to decrease gun violence, maybe it’s time to stop focusing solely on how to outmaneuver the NRA and focus on convincing progressives that incarceration isn’t a dirty word if it is used to punish behavior that is deadly, dangerous, and disproportionately harmful to communities of color.”