Gun control won’t help reduce violence, according to CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp. “Where we have the highest rates of gun control we also have the highest rates of crime,” said Schlapp, who also chairs the American Conservative Union, one of the largest and oldest conservative lobbying groups in the country. “If we’re going to jump to gun control as a solution to this problem of violence, we’re being deceitful to people,” he adds. “It’s really not going to solve the problem.” His statements, though, do contrast with other research. The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, for example, found that states with stricter gun laws, such as California, Connecticut, and New York, generally have lower rates of gun-related deaths. The most recent mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., hung over this year’s CPAC conference, which kicked off in Maryland on Wednesday. The attack has ignited a national movement -- helmed by the teenage survivors -- pushing for reform. Perhaps their efforts were responsible for a concession from Schlapp. “I would also admit that we’re at a time where I think we ought to do a lot more listening and learning and hearing people out,” adds Schlapp.

Share:
More In Politics
U.S. Unemployment Claims Slip to Still-High 787,000
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell slightly to 787,000, evidence of a job market stumbling in the face of the viral pandemic and the damage it has inflicted on the economy for nearly 10 months.
Warnock, Ossoff Win in Georgia, Handing Dems Senate control
Democrats have won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority. That's a stunning defeat for President Donald Trump in his final days in office and it dramatically improves the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s progressive agenda.
Load More