The senior U.S. senator from Hawaii perfectly illustrates the reason why so many gun owners instinctively recoil from arguments for, and automatically dismiss advocates, of gun control.

Sen. Brian Schatz wasn’t just painfully ignorant recently, he was proudly ignorant about guns. The Democrat gave shout-outs to protesters marching on Washington over the weekend, tweeting the best signs. His favorite? “Girls clothing is more regulated than guns in America.” Except no, not at all.

Picking up a pair of Lululemons does not require a background check and no one fills out a six-page form to double-check in real-time with the federal government whether they use illicit substances, have been convicted of a crime, or have served prison time. Stretchy yoga pants are not as regulated as so-called assault weapons.

Schatz knows better, and Schatz even admitted as much when pushed on this point by National Review columnist Dan McLaughlin: “I’m just posting clever signs made by kids,” he tweeted. “I’m not making a factual assertion.”



I’m just posting clever signs made by kids. Im not making a factual assertion. — Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) March 24, 2018

The only factual assertion that can be made from Schatz’s statement is that he likes spreading clever lies. Aggravated high school students can get a pass for this bad behavior -- a sitting U.S. senator cannot.

One of the more vocal Democrats on the issue, Schatz has emerged as a firebrand willing to burn down bridges to get gun control. Earlier in February, he declared the NRA, and by association their 5-million members, enemies of the state. “I am normally interested in compromise,” Schatz wrote. “Not this time. I cannot imagine a bill that would make a difference that the NRA supports. We don’t need to cut a deal with them, we need to beat them.”

Couple that loathing hostility with Schatz’s own deliberate ignorance and you get gridlock. There won’t be any productive conversations, let alone legislation. Liberals can’t be surprised when they aren’t taken seriously by gun owners so long as senators like Schatz revel in disinformation.