David Brooks: We Must Let Ammosexuals Take The Lead On Guns

By Susie Madrak — February 20, 2018

.@nytdavidbrooks writes that he's been thinking this week about a group that’s in the trust and respect business. Better Angels is a nonprofit that finds members of the Red and Blue Tribes and brings them together for long, humbling conversations. https://t.co/bfZ3xnnSKH

— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) February 20, 2018

David Brooks has this column today called "Respect First, Then Gun Control."

"The people who defend gun rights believe that snobbish elites look down on their morals and want to destroy their culture. If we end up telling such people that they and their guns are despicable, they will just despise us back and dig in their heels.

"So if you want to stop school shootings it’s not enough just to vent and march. It’s necessary to let people from Red America lead the way, and to show respect to gun owners at all points. There has to be trust and respect first. Then we can strike a compromise on guns as guns, and not some sacred cross in the culture war."

For some reason, Twitter wasn't down with his simplistic argument.

on guns, david brooks proposes a bridge to nowhere — with lots of safe spaces along the way for gun owners to feel unthreatened while the people who don’t like being shot dead apologize for antagonizing them by advocating for life-saving policies https://t.co/D5xja7B5KY

— Philip Gourevitch (@PGourevitch) February 20, 2018

In which David Brooks argues that when 17 people get gunned down in a high school the most important thing is to be polite and deferential https://t.co/eskBvnyZLh

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 20, 2018

you (an idiot): maybe we should engage activists, mount pressure campaigns, mobilize disaffected voters

David Brooks (politics genius, esq.): this reeks of Labels, I'm afraid

— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) February 20, 2018

Not to point out the GOBSMACKINGLY OBVIOUS, David Brooks- but allowing "Red America" & its politicians to lead is how we fucking got here.

— Michelle (@Eaglefly124) February 20, 2018

It's bad on its own, but David Brooks' suggestion that liberals need to listen to Red America on gun control would be less offensive if we had any evidence that he's ever really listened to Red America himself.

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 20, 2018

David Brooks should be a writer for the NRA's monthly indoctrination newsletter, not for the NYTimes Opinion section.

How about showing some respect to the victims who lost their lives due to gun violence rather than people who believe guns are more important than these lives?

— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 20, 2018

David Brooks’ argument that the best way to stop school shootings is to let Red America lead the way on gun control makes complete sense if you don't think about it.

— Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) February 20, 2018

We should all be thanking David Brooks because nobody's ever considered hearing both sides of the gun control debate until now

— Jordan Freiman (@JordanFreiman) February 20, 2018

it's never gonna be a good day when you click Twitter and "David Brooks" is trending so before I even look can I remind you that you don't have to read him

— Sarah Jaffe (@sarahljaffe) February 20, 2018

Shorter David Brooks today: people who believe they should be ready to overthrow the government with their guns are just like people who want healthcare for everyone.

— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) February 20, 2018