“Hey kids, my heart is heavy so I've been praying. Let's go to the mall today. If we're lucky, no one in our family will be shot dead.” It's an absurd notion, for sure, but I have to ask: Does anyone truly feel safe these days?
In the wake of the recent killings in Allen, Texas, where 8 people were slaughtered, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has decided to convene a special Democratic caucus with his colleagues later this week. While I applaud Schumer for doing something, I'd say the odds are 1 out of 100 he'll be able to convince Republican senators to cross party lines and support new gun control legislation. Put another way, I most likely will walk on Mars before meaningful gun safety legislation is signed into law.
If you ask me, odds of drafting new laws are much higher (say 50-50) if Joe Biden takes a page out of Jimmy Carter's playbook and hosts a Camp David gun summit. It took nearly two weeks of intense negotiations before old warriors Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel forged their Middle East peace agreement in 1978. My guess is it will take at least a week before representatives from the National Rifle Assn. and 2nd Amendment proponents can find common ground with law enforcement officials and grieving relatives.
With all due respect, Senator Schumer, Camp David is where the sweet spot is (not your caucus meeting on Capitol Hill). Instead, I urge you to convince the president to convene a gun summit. Odds are everyone involved will end up looking like a hero instead of another confused, heartbroken mourner.
-DF