Who wrote this brilliant Facebook post about guns and abortion?
What if guns were regulated like abortions?
What if there were 48-hour waiting periods, and psychiatric evaluations, and parental consent forms, and only a few places to get one?
After Thursday’s mass shooting in Oregon—and the almost immediate realization that it will likely inspire zero gun-control reforms—this two-paragraph hypothetical has gotten thousands of shares on Facebook. Check it out:
Thing is, it’s unclear exactly where these words came from. But they appear to be a summary of a 2013 article on Examiner.com by William Hamby called “What if gun laws were like abortion laws?” In it, Hamby argues that Republican legislators have been hypocritical in letting guns go relatively unregulated while piling on “extra-constitutional” obstacles to abortion.
“Sounds like someone said it after reading my article,” Hamby wrote on Facebook yesterday, referring to the anonymously authored summary of his article. “Which is exactly why I wrote it. So… Awesome.”
Adam Auriemma edits the Justice section at Fusion.
Join the discussion...