Yesterday, President Obama once again surrounded himself with the familes of Newtown victims and called for increased restrictions on firearm sales and ownership.
Since the killings, Newtown has become ground zero in his effort to exploit horror and tragedy to achieve the nearly century-old statist goal of gun control. If the left is to be believed, family members of those slain in December's mass murder are united in their desire for weapon bans, magazine limits, and what Obama likes to call "other common sense measures." This alleged rock steady unity has become the tent pole of the claims that "we deserve a vote" on pending legislation that would diminish the 2nd Amendment rights of all Americans.
Unfortunately, it doesn't exist. While some families call for more gun control, others have argued against it.
In fact, while the President was making his way to Newtown for his speech, one of the victims' fathers, Mark Mattioli, was being interviewed by Megyn Kelly.
"I feel compelled to participate in this debate because I'm not hearing a voice that's really agreeing with me," He said. "I believe there are tens of millions of people out there who agree that gun control isn't necessarily the solution... Perhaps it's a way to avoid some of the sadness - to participate in the debate."
From there, Mattioli goes on to dismantle many of the usual gun control arguments, labeling them as "false premises" that target law-abiding gun owners while failing to have any impact on killers. He laments left-wing group think on the 2nd Amendment, argues that blunt-force legislation will only serve to eliminate rights, and discusses the need for advanced mental health initiatives as well as a greater focus on social issues.
His testimony is heart-breaking, courageous, and compelling - sadly, as obvious as his solutions are, they fall well outside of what President Obama considers "common sense." As it appears Harry Reid is about to be faced with the reality that he doesn't have the Democrat votes to pass his desired legislation, politicians would do well to heed this man's suggestions.
Parts of the interview are tough to watch but Mark Mattioli wants to be heard. If gun control advocates are going to use his son's death to advance their long-standing agenda, the least they can do is listen to him.
