China and U.S. Gun Control

Regular readers will have noticed that I stand against conspiracy theories in all forms. I believe that they are contributing to current global trends producing hatred and fear for no real reason whatsoever.

However, forty years of political reporting as a diplomat has trained me to look for connections between seemingly unrelated topics or events.

This article is one of those “connect the dots” exercises that may or may not play out but that poses interesting questions.

As reported in the media, China is in the throes of widespread civil disturbances as citizens are angry with the forced lockdown of tens of millions of people, shutting down of production centers and transportation services.

Their anger is directed at President Xi and the ruling Communist Party in numerous demonstrations across China.

The government appears to have relented slightly with respect to lockdowns, allowing people to shelter in their homes rather than in designated centers. Despite this, hardliners in the government appear to be winning the day and forcing harsh measures on demonstrators and the population in general. 

Police now enter offices and homes and confiscate computers and smart phones to see if the individual concerned has been communicating with protesters or participating in what they consider surreptitious activities.

The Chinese government already controls access to a good part of the internet. In fact, most Chinese can’t access global social media, relying instead on government run and controlled outlets. This tight control underscores how the Chinese government prevents freedom of choice, gatherings and expression limiting democratic alternatives and fundamental human rights recognized in a multitude of international agreements the Chinese regime has signed but that it ignores.

Most Chinese also utilize apps like Alipay to manage their finances and purchase items from small and large retailers. The government’s ability to block the access of individuals from these platforms guarantees that officials can isolate dissidents from economic activity and preclude their participating in the economy.

Does government control over social media ring a bell?  

This is under consideration in the democracies of the West as governments strive to reduce and eventually eliminate hate speech on-line and fake news that can drive users to political and social extremes.

While many posit that some control over social media is necessary and desirable, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope that can lead to dangerous government interference in the basic human rights of freedom of expression and assembly.

The current malaise about Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter feeds this concern as he evolves the programming to suit his political philosophy.

During the Trump administration, we saw how lies and fake news filled social media to the point at which many people could not tell truth from invention. Fortunately, this did not affect the 2020 presidential election, but the fact that many Republicans still believe that the election was fraught with fraud illustrates the power of social media to perpetuate falsehoods and promote hatred and fear.

In the same vein, a sizeable minority of about 35% of voters support the second amendment and the right of all to bear arms, from revolvers to AK-47’s. The exponential rise in gun violence has led many to question these permissive gun laws while supporters claim that the rights of citizens to bear arms makes government interference unwarranted.

Should the Chinese government succeed in further clamping down on dissent and social media, will the Republican right opportunistically jump on this? 

A major element of their pro-gun philosophy is that the average citizen must have the wherewithal to fight against a government that encroaches on their constitutional rights.  The second amendment of the constitution proclaims the right to bear arms. Should Democrats succeed in curtailing what the right considers freedom of speech on the internet, Republicans could argue that this illustrates how current Chinese practices could well be replicated in the US. 

The second amendment is cherished by many Americans, mostly on the right, as a way for citizens to control an intrusive government, while many mostly at the center and left see uncontrolled access to guns as the main reason for the ongoing mass shootings in the United States. 

In their view, Chinese control over dissent on social media and financial applications only illustrates the vulnerability of an unarmed populace. Democrats may need to craft a message that they support the 2nd amendment but with reasonable limits of the types of weapons and training needed, in the interests of public safety, if polls indicate a shift in voter preference. 

Right now, a majority of voters polled favor gun control, but events in China may alter their perception. 

Such a strategy by the Republican Party could well attract centrist voters concerned about potential U.S. government interference in their lives should the Chinese model continue to be violent.

It remains to be seen if Democrats can square the circle of gun rights with gun control to counter a possible Republican gun strategy that, in view of China’s reality, make sense to many in the U.S..

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Edition: Estefanía Cardeña