Whenever any serious gun-control measures are proposed, one standard slogan trotted out by opponents of gun control is that before we pass any new laws, we should enforce existing laws more effectively instead. Any sensible person would be wise to suspect that this propaganda line is dishonest and hypocritical ... and, of course, that would be right. In the real world, pro-gun fanatics, their lobbyists, and the politicians who do their bidding have put a lot of effort into making it difficult or impossible to actually enforce the laws that are supposedly on the books. In a recent Daily Show episode, Jon Stewart did a nice job of explaining how this scam works—or at least one aspect of it, because this is only part of a bigger story (Watch the two video clips in sequence.)
[UPDATE: There's a follow-up HERE.]
—Jeff Weintraub
Watch part two: