Top Washington Post reporter Robert Costa warned Republicans on Wednesday that the politics surrounding gun control are changing quickly and drastically.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Costa said the GOP is “feeling the heat” and that suburban voters – the key to winning elections – want to see action taken on guns.
Video:
Top WaPo Reporter Warns GOP: Suburban Voters Will Come For You If You Don’t Act On Guns #Hardball #Guns #NRA pic.twitter.com/MBVx1D8fuO
— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) March 1, 2018
Costa said:
On guns, the Republicans are feeling the heat. Suburban voters in places like Philadelphia want to see gun control. Republicans know the NRA gets base voters to come out. They need to show some movement. That’s why you saw the president today trying to show movement.
Parkland has changed the gun debate
While previous mass shootings have come and gone with only temporary focus on changing gun laws, the post-Parkland political environment has shifted drastically.
That was clear in Trump’s display earlier on Wednesday, when he seemed surprisingly open to some gun control measures, including raising the age to buy an assault weapon to expanding background checks. He even took jabs at GOP lawmakers for being “afraid of NRA.”
As Jason Easley pointed out earlier, this is likely just political theatre on the part of Trump as he behaved similarly during the immigration debate. Still, it does suggest that even he recognizes the changing environment around this issue.
Ultimately, Costa’s reporting should serve as a warning for Republicans as we head closer to the 2018 midterm elections. If they want to hold onto their jobs, they need to act on gun violence. If not, voters will act accordingly.
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