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Gun Control After Trump Impeachment?
Democrats might be in a position to impeach President Trump, raise taxes, and impose gun control nationwide as early as January 2019. The party is in a good position to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November’s election.
The party needs only to flip 24 Republican-controlled seats to get a majority in the House. There will be 48 competitive House races in November.
To make matters, worse Republicans will be defending seats in 25 districts that Hillary Clinton (D-New York) carried in the 2016 Presidential election, The New York Times pointed out. Republicans might have a tough race because just 12 Democrats will be defending seats in districts that President Donald J. Trump (R-New York) won.
Republicans will have a harder time in the fall because they will have fewer incumbent representatives; who have an easier time winning elections. Around 40 Republican Representatives; including Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), are not seeking re-election, The Atlantic noted. Only 20 Democrats are leaving the House.
Only one prominent Dem, Rep. Keith Ellison (Minnesota), is not seeking re-election. Several top Republicans including U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (California) are retiring.
California Might Give Democrats the House
[the_ad id=”82587″]The Democrats’ chances of controlling the House improved after their establishment candidates did well in California’s “jungle primary” on June 5. In the “jungle primary,” all the candidates from all the parties appear on the same ballot, – the ones with the most votes face each other in the general election.
There were so many Democrats on the ballot that some observers thought only Republicans would win. Instead, Democrats secured slots on the ballot in all 53 California districts, including seven contested districts they are likely to win in November, The Washington Post reported.
Democrats Want Trump Impeached
An impeachment attempt is likely if Democrats control the house because around 71% of Democratic voters favor impeachment, a Quinnipiac Poll found in April.
House Democrats have already tried to impeach Trump, 58 of them voted for articles of impeachment filed by U.S. Representative Al Green (D-Texas) in December 2017, The Hill reported. Those Democrats favored impeachment even though their leader Nancy Pelosi (California) opposed it.
A vote of impeachment in the house would not remove Trump because impeachment would have to be approved by the Senate. Impeachment would probably fail in the Senate because most observers think Republicans will retain control of that body.
Republicans will have an easier time in the Senate because they only need to win two races to retain control – unlike the House. Five Democrats are facing re-election in states Trump won in 2016, Bloomberg noted.
Democrats Probably Can’t Impeach Trump But They Can Cause Political Chaos
Impeachment would probably fail if Democrats controlled the Senate because it would require a vote of 67 Senators or two-thirds of that body. Democrats would have to prove Trump did something very bad to get that level of support.
Even if impeachment efforts failed they would lead to political chaos. There would be a brutal legislative battle that would make political divisions far worse. Tempers would fare on both sides of the aisle which can lead to violence. Trump’s election and inauguration triggered rioting, so impeachment would spark more riots.
Unfortunately, Democrats might risk such violence because they might figure impeachment would help them win more races in 2020 including the presidency. They would hope to inflame enough of their voters to win a majority in the Electoral College – which is how Trump won in 2016.
Other Reasons Gun Owners Should Be Scared Of a Democratic House
Beyond impeachment, there is a lot of other havoc that a Democratic House of Representatives can wreak.
The Constitution gives the House the power to write the budget, so it can raise taxes and increase spending. A Democratic House would have the power to defund President Trump’s projects like the Border Wall and to end his increases to the military budget.
The house can force the president to sign the budget by passing massive funding bills that include the entire government. Such bills can contain spending the president opposes, and essential items like pay for the armed forces. The president would have to sign the bill to keep the military operating.
Beyond the budget, Democrats have plans for additional gun control; including a ban on semiautomatic weapons (assault weapons) and a national background check requirement, The Hill reported. Disturbingly, some Republicans such as U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Florida) also favor more gun control. That means Second Amendment rights might be under threat if Democrats took the House.
Watch the House races carefully because Democratic success might lead to chaos in Washington and violence across America. The political divisions and popular anger in America might get far worse after November 6, 2018.
