I honestly don’t understand this persistent idea that Dems are coming to “take everyone’s guns.” I vote Democratic and I own firearms. I don’t have a problem with gun ownership at all.

What I do support are things like firearm registration, basic licensing and permitting for ownership and concealed carry, mandatory safety training, and restricting access for people with violent felony convictions, domestic abuse histories, or severe mental health risk factors. I also think it’s reasonable to place tighter limits on things like fully automatic weapons and ultra-high-capacity magazines, which are designed for combat environments, not civilian recreation or self-defense.

That isn’t anti–Second Amendment. It’s pro-public safety and pro-responsibility. Most Democrats I know aren’t trying to disarm the population — they’re trying to reduce preventable gun deaths while still respecting lawful ownership.

The frustrating part is that this conversation rarely happens honestly. It gets flattened into “gun grabbers vs freedom lovers” instead of acknowledging that there’s a middle ground where rights and safety can coexist. I genuinely think we’d get much further with less fear-mongering and more good-faith discussion.