Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Thursday's PBS NewsHour, as the show covered President Joe Biden's gun control proposals, host Judy Woodruff devoted a segment to speculating about what new gun restrictions might be able to pass Congress. UCLA law professor Adam Winkler was given an unchallenged forum to talk up new regulations and portray congressional Republicans as out of step with the public opinion.
After Winkler predicted possible benefits of regulating ghost guns and enacting red flag laws, Woodruff asked how likely it would be for "meaningful" laws to be passed. Winkler noted the difficulty of getting a filibuster-proof majority, leading the PBS host to follow up: "And what about the views of the American people? What do we know about that?"
Ignoring the evidence that gun control proposals like "universal background checks" are not as popular as polls make them appear, Winkler painted Republicans as not representing the views of the public:
Well, there's a huge difference between the views of the members of Congress and the views of the American people. We see things like universal background checks having over 80 percent report. The restriction on ghost guns, we see -- polls show about 75 percent support. And, yet, these laws can't get adopted through Congress itself because, let's face it, the Republican caucus is 100 percent opposed to gun control, and there's probably even some swing state Democrats who would vote against significant gun reform, too.
Woodruff then brought up the possibility of allowing gun makers to be sued over gun violence: "We heard President Biden say today, if he had one thing he could get done, it would be the ability to sue gun manufacturers over gun deaths. Would that make a big difference?"
The UCLA professor thought suing gun makers might be a good idea as he responded:
It could make a difference in the long run. The gun makers were able to get a law passed by Congress back in the second Bush administration to restrict the ability of people to sue gun makers when their guns are used in crime. As a general matter, a gun maker is not going to be liable if a criminal misuses his firearms.
But we have seen in other industries these kinds of lawsuits can open the door and open the window to see how these gun makers are operating -- how they're marketing their weapons. And it may be that they're marketing them in ways designed to appeal to people who have a violent desires to use guns offensively. It would be a tough road, but it's certainly possible.
No suggestions were made that new gun control might make matters worse, or that loosening restrictions for law-abiding citizens would be a benefit in some parts of the country that are strict on gun owners.
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Transcript follows:
PBS NewsHour
April 8, 2021
7:07 p.m.
PROFESSOR ADAM WINKLER, UCLA: At the same time, the gun control movement in the last 10 years has been really reinvigorated. We have new organizations that have arisen, a lot more money being spent on gun safety reform, and it's become an issue that's really at the top of the Democratic party agenda, some place it was not 10 years ago.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But still uphill to try to get meaningful legislation passed.
WINKLER: Well, right now, it's not just a gun issue. Meaningful legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes, and it's hard to imagine 60 votes for almost any controversial issue these days. Certainly going to be difficult to get 60 votes on significant gun reform.
WOODRUFF: And what about the views of the American people? What do we know about that?
WINKLER: Well, there's a huge difference between the views of the members of Congress and the views of the American people. We see things like universal background checks having over 80 percent report. The restriction on ghost guns, we see -- polls show about 75 percent support. And, yet, these laws can't get adopted through Congress itself because, let's face it, the Republican caucus is 100 percent opposed to gun control, and there's probably even some swing state Democrats who would vote against significant gun reform, too.
WOODRUFF: We heard President Biden say today, if he had one thing he could get done, it would be the ability to sue gun manufacturers over gun deaths. Would that make a big difference?
WINKLER: It could make a difference in the long run. The gun makers were able to get a law passed by Congress back in the second Bush administration to restrict the ability of people to sue gun makers when their guns are used in crime. As a general matter, a gun maker is not going to be liable if a criminal misuses his firearms.
But we have seen in other industries these kinds of lawsuits can open the door and open the window to see how these gun makers are operating -- how they're marketing their weapons. And it may be that they're marketing them in ways designed to appeal to people who have a violent desires to use guns offensively. It would be a tough road, but it's certainly possible.