How Democrats' Midterm Blowout Will Impact Gun Policy (Ft. Semafor's Dave Weigel)

The midterm elections just returned a sweeping victory for Democrats. On this episode, we're going to examine what that means moving forward--especially for gun policy.

To do that, we have Semafor's Dave Weigel on the show. He's one of the most connected and insightful political reporters in America. 

He said the midterms were a bigger win for Democrats than even competent political analysts expected. The gun-money fight was more lopsided than expected, too. And the outcome puts the political influence of the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the gun-rights movement writ large, further in doubt.

Weigel argued the NRA was partially a victim of its own success, though. He said Democrats may support measures like "assault weapons" bans, but they are unlikely to have the ability or even political will to enact them. He said guns are a policy area where, without a major mass shooting to motivate action, Democrats are likely to put little emphasis.

Still, he agreed that they may push for the same sort of measures Republicans managed to pass over the last two years. Weigel said he wouldn't be surprised if Democrats tried to push to raise the National Firearms Act taxes through budget reconciliation--the same way Republicans cut them. But a lot will come down to how Trump and Democrats actually work with one another, or, more likely, don't.

Weigel also looked ahead at the next elections. Just as he was bearish on the prospects that Democrats pass a lot of new gun restrictions, he was bearish on the prospects that Trump regains popularity or that Republicans recapture Congress in two years.