Sen. Tom Cotton (R–Ark.), who apparently has never encountered a criminal penalty he thought was too severe, wants to create a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for illegal gun possession. Cotton and the eight Republican senators who are cosponsoring his bill present it as an effective way to reduce violent crime, in contrast with the harebrained gun control schemes favored by Democrats. But the so-called Stop Gun Criminals Act doubles down on longstanding firearm restrictions that were never just or sensible.
"Violent felons commit the vast majority of gun crimes and should be held accountable for their actions," Cotton says. "Instead of releasing criminals onto the streets to commit more crime, our bill will establish mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders." That gloss is more than a little misleading, since the five-year mandatory minimum would apply to millions of Americans who are not "violent felons," many of whom have done nothing to suggest they would pose a danger to public safety if they were allowed to own guns.
