Alaska's Election Shift Could Open Door to Gun Control Push
Alaska has long been one of the more reliably pro-gun states in the country, but Bearing Arms reports that November's elections may be setting the stage for the kind of gun control push Texas Democrats just unleashed.
Snapshot
Bearing Arms columnist Tom Knighton looks at Alaska's still-unfinished legislative elections, where ranked-choice tabulations are ongoing but preliminary results point to an expanded Democratic and "fake independent" presence in the House and continued Democrat control of the Senate. Knighton notes that incoming Senate President Cathy Giessel, a Republican, has already backed several gun control measures, and that Everytown-affiliated groups are active in Juneau.
Key points
- Legislative shift: Both the House and Senate coalitions, already including Republicans, Democrats and independents, appear poised to tilt further left, per preliminary results.
- Giessel's record: The incoming Senate President has supported red flag laws, universal background checks (calling them "a basic requirement"), ghost gun regulation, and raising the purchase age for AR-15s to 25.
- Advocacy network: Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, has a local Juneau presence and has pushed legislation similar to what's now moving in Texas.
- Governor's race: A Democrat holds a sizable lead in the still-unresolved gubernatorial race, though guns weren't a major campaign issue; affordability, tied partly to Jones Act shipping costs, dominated instead.
- Crime context: Knighton points out Alaska's violent crime rate is high but mostly not gun-related, arguing gun control wouldn't address the actual problem.
Quick take
Nothing here is finalized, and Knighton is clear the ballots are still being counted. But the pieces, a shifting legislature, a gun control-friendly Senate president, and an established advocacy network, are the same ones that preceded Texas's bill deluge. Worth watching once Juneau gavels in.
Read the full story: bearingarms.com