As gun control seems to be sweeping all over the country, Pennsylvania seemed set to be joining them. These weren’t the worst gun control laws I’ve seen come out of states recently, but they weren’t the best either. Not by a long shot.

The last thing we needed to see was new gun laws, but it sounded like a foregone conclusion that we were going to see them none the less.

Then again, maybe not.

The state House recessed for the summer on Monday without holding a final vote on legislation to close a loophole that advocates for victims of domestic violence say makes it too easy for abusers to get access to guns. The decision angered advocates who’d made the legislation their top priority in the weeks of debate over gun reform that arose from the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., school shooting. “I’ve had my share of disappointing days” at the state Capitol, said Shira Goodman, executive director of CeaseFire PA. “Today is beyond disappointing.” Goodman said she and other advocates will continue to lobby for the legislation and called on the Legislature to act on the measure during the fall session.

However, just as a Democrat can make sensible proposals, Republicans can side with gun control activists. (From above link.)

A group of Republican lawmakers joined supporters from the gun-control groups and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. That included Republican state Rep. Fred Keller of Snyder County, who said that he supported the legislation because he doesn’t believe it infringes on the rights of responsible gun-owners.

Unfortunately, it can. Some women claim abuse when none occurs as a way to punish their partners. As a result, men easily be barred from owning guns because of these onerous claims, even if only temporarily. As a result, there’s a reason gun rights activists tend to push back on stuff like this.

The fact is, actual domestic abusers are already legally forbidden from purchasing guns. This has been the law for decades at this point, and nothing has remotely changed on that front. No one is wanting to see that changed.

What we don’t need are more laws that, at best, duplicate laws that are already on the books.

What this really is about is continuing to try and connect “Guns” and “domestic violence” as if the two are inextricably linked. Anti-gunners want those two to be synonymous in people’s minds. It’s part of their effort to stigmatize gun owners.

Oh, I know it may sound a little “tin foil,” but also remember that they want people to think this way because many of them already do. They’re convinced we’re all violent scumbags waiting for an opportunity to shoot up the neighborhood. This is their mentality.

And it’s also why they feel like they need to step in and try to close “loopholes” that don’t actually exist. There is no way for anyone convicted of domestic violence-related charges to legally own a gun. Period. There hasn’t been for a long time, so what’s the rush?

Maybe because they’re hoping to use this for more gun control and more efforts to paint gun owners as lunatics.