In an appearance on NBC’s Sunday Today early that morning, moderator Chuck Todd lambasted Republicans for being the reason gun control efforts were making no progress since they were in control of the House, Senate, and the Presidency. Todd ratcheted up his anti-gun stance during Meet the Press by promoting radical calls to abolish the right to bear arms by repealing the Second Amendment. And he did it by highlighting the writings of Bret Stephens, a never-Trumper turned liberal.
“Isn’t the difficulty here legislatively, the Constitution,” Todd lamented to his largely liberal panel. “Which is Bret Stephens' point in The New York Times, he’s calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment.” He then emphatically read from the liberal’s talking points:
“The United States has, by far, more guns in more hands than any other country in the developed world. It has, by far, the highest incidence of firearms-related homicides and suicides. Correlation is not causation, but since Americans aren't dramatically crazier than other nationalities, what other explanation is there?” However, it is in our constitution, unlike other western democracies.
NBC National Political Reporter Carol Lee had let Todd’s hopes for a full repeal down but did it in a highfalutin way that besmirched gun owners. “I mean, getting rid of the Second Amendment it’s not realistic. It's a nice intellectual exercise people might want to have, but it's not realistic,” she chided.
Lee then turned her ire to congressional Republicans and accused them of, essentially, being bribed by the National Rifle Association to do nothing while kids were killed. “They’re also to a certain extent owned by the NRA,” she declared. “The NRA spent $55 million in the 2016 elections. That's more than twice as much as they did in 2012. So you know, the idea that they're going to do something in this atmosphere -- history doesn't show that that will happen.”
“I can't name a politician … that has lost due to not supporting gun control, but I have known politicians who have lost for their support of gun control,” Todd whined.
Building off of Lee’s point that talking about repeal was an “intellectual exercise,” Chief White House Correspondent Hallie Jackson jabbed Republicans for being afraid to participate. “That is exactly what conservatives are terrified about,” she asserted. “That is exactly the conversation that they don't want to be having because there is a philosophical difference on this. Because this is, as you alluded to in your opening piece here, symbolic in a lot of ways.”
There was no mention of how the Democrats were “terrified” and did nothing when they controlled Washington, DC.
With Jackson’s comments in mind, Todd moved to Democratic Pollster Cornell Belcher and seemed to suggest the reason the Second Amendment was still around was because the NRA had launched a masterful marketing campaign to associate it with patriotism. “The NRA, I think their great strength here has been how they've re-messaged gun ownership, and they've wrapped it in the flag,” he claimed.
“But I think something is changing, Chuck. When you look at the way those young people are mobilizing, you look at the way some of the gun organizations are raising money and they're mobilizing now. If this is a front-and-center issue for suburban moms in this coming election, it will change,” Belcher opined, sounding hopeful.
The left often claims there calls for gun control don’t include taking everyone’s guns and it was just extremist right-wing fantasy, but Todd made it clear that no Second Amendment was their ultimate end goal.
The relevant portions of the transcript are below, click expand to read:
NBC
Meet the Press
February 18, 2018
10:57:57 AM EasternCHUCK TODD: But isn't the difficulty here legislatively the constitution? Which is Bret Stephens' point in The New York Times, he’s calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment. And he says, “The United States has, by far, more guns in more hands than any other country in the developed world. It has, by far, the highest incidence of firearms-related homicides and suicides. Correlation is not causation, but since Americans aren't dramatically crazier than other nationalities, what other explanation is there?” However, it is in our constitution, unlike other western democracies.
CAROL LEE: I mean, getting rid of the Second Amendment it’s not realistic. It's a nice intellectual exercise people might want to have, but it's not realistic. I do think there is some potential on the state -- the state and local piece of this seems much more ripe. Congress is deadlocked. They can't even barely keep the government open, right?
TODD: [laughter] Nope.
LEE: So, the idea that they're going to do something here—and they're also to a certain extent owned by the NRA. The NRA spent $55 million in the 2016 elections. That's more than twice as much as they did in 2012. So you know, the idea that they're going to do something in this atmosphere -- history doesn't show that that will happen. But also just the parties. The Republicans are much stronger on this issue. This is a top-tier issue for them, and for Democrats, it isn't really.
TODD: Not a voting issue.
[Crosstalk]
TODD: I can't name a politician, Rick, that has lost due to not supporting gun control, but I have known politicians who have lost for their support of gun control.
(…)
HALLIE JACKSON: The bottom line is, this is a philosophical difference here. Because when you have conversations, the one you called an intellectual exercise, about the abolition of the Second Amendment, that is exactly what conservatives are terrified about. That is exactly the conversation that they don't want to be having because there is a philosophical difference on this. Because this is, as you alluded to in your opening piece here, symbolic in a lot of ways.
TODD: Cornell, the NRA, I think their great strength here has been how they've re-messaged gun ownership, and they've wrapped it in the flag.
CORNELL BELCHER: And by the way, Democrats have been more afraid of the Republican base than they have been of, quite frankly, the middle swath of America. But I think something is changing, Chuck. When you look at the way those young people are mobilizing, you look at the way some of the gun organizations are raising money and they're mobilizing now. If this is a front-and-center issue for suburban moms in this coming election, it will change.
TODD: All right, we shall see.
