Civil discourse is something that’s nearly dead today. Personally, I’ve had “friends” walk out of my life just because of my presumed stance on things or support of certain policies. But what about having an actual conversation? There are few that I feel are objective enough in the Second Amendment arena to have civil conversations with those on the other side. An event in Washington D.C.touted as “Bridging the Political Divide,” but I’m skeptical at best.

In a perfect world, we’d have the Jets and the Sharks of the pro and anti-gun movements come together and have a full on series of debates and discourse. I’d want to see powerhouses on both sides of the field engaging each other.

The problem with any of these scenarios is almost wired into the individuals involved. Let’s just say one faction is about liberty, freedom, and deregulation; and the other is a fan of being told what to do, are part of the “we generation,” and gets their rocks off on regulation. In the middle of all that comes the concept of the Constitution, what it means, and what it doesn’t mean.

When all is said and done, there’s hardly any anti-gunner that I can say respects the Constitution if they’re advocating for regulation. Many are just wired to want to have a thumb over them, while others are happy to engage in self-governance.

Taking from that, let’s consider this “defending democracy” tour that’s going to happen at a location that has Bloomberg in its title:

Bridging the Political Divide - Two Dads Defending Democracy Tour Comes to the Hopkins Bloomberg Center

Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh and Fred Guttenberg have strongly opposing political views. Walsh is an ardent gun rights advocate, and Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland School shooting, is a prominent gun safety activist.

For years the two were publicly at odds, but over time these two dads formed an unexpected partnership based on open dialogue, respectful disagreement, and a shared calling to defend our democracy.

Join the Johns Hopkins community to hear from Walsh and Guttenberg as they tell their story of how two people who are diametrically opposed on politics and policy can lower the temperature and start listening to one another – even in a deeply divided political environment.

Sponsored by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute and Hopkins Bloomberg Center

Guttenberg’s stance is pretty well known. As far as I’m concerned, and while I disagree with Guttenberg, he gets a pass. As for those who exploit, use, and feed off Guttenberg, they’re despicable scum.

What about former Republican Congressman Walsh? The event announcement says that he and Guttenberg have “strongly opposing political views” and that Walsh is “an ardent gun rights advocate.”

I don’t know much about Walsh except that he’s ping-ponged on his views over the years. Which, hey, that’s okay. People change as do beliefs. If anything, the dynamic nature in change of resolution is a sign of learning and maturity. Or a sign of something else….

It’s important to look back on things Walsh has said. “I think I’m the kind of Republican who can win because I’m open and tolerant,” Walsh said in a 2011 interview with the Chicago Tribune. “I’m not some right-wing conservative.” The Tribune also observed that “Walsh positioned himself as a socially liberal Republican who favored abortion rights and gun control measures — sharp contrasts to the staunchly conservative stances he now holds.”

Where’s that place Walsh now?

In 2018, Walsh fell victim to Sacha Baron Cohen's show, "Who is America?" In the inaugural episode, Walsh was tricked into saying several things that might, er, show he’s pro-Second Amendment.

“They had me read about this 4-year-old child in Israel who, when a terrorist entered his classroom, somehow he grabbed the terrorist’s gun and held the terrorist at bay,” Walsh said during a CNN interview. “And that was an example of how Israel trains and arms preschool kids on how to use firearms, and boy shouldn’t we do that in America?”

Sadly, we won’t be able to know how the Guttenberg versus Walsh debate goes. The information on the event listing states, “This is an in-person event only; a livestream will not be available.” Will there be a recording for some Monday morning quarterbacking? Don’t know.

What I can say though, if I were to make up a Royal Rumble of 2A titans, advocates, and activists to engage in serious and civil debate, it'd be quite a show. At best, I could be a ringleader, probably not a moderator. Putting things on a page and revising them is one thing, having to listen to stupid ideas and respond to them in real time is an entirely different animal.

At the top of my list of contenders for the pro-liberty side would be our very own Cam. Anyone who follows Cam knows that he’s levelheaded and pragmatic about nearly everything.

I’d also want to see Stephen Gutowski, the publisher/editor of The Reload and commentator on CNN. Gutowski has a near perfect stoicism in his reporting. It's crazy.

Another strong personality would be Gun Talk’s Tom Gresham. Gresham has been in this game for so long, he knows the histories of the histories. At times slightly gritty and combative with those who really reveal themselves to be ignorant, Gresham would be a great teammate.

Those are just three I’d like to see square off in real discourse and debate, but there are a few dozen others that I’d think would be both entertaining to watch as well as be productive to have.

Since it’s not likely that the Second Amendment Royal Rumble will happen, we’ll just have to imagine the results. What I can say though is that looking at a Guttenberg v Walsh debate, I doubt we’d get anywhere close to the results that we would if Bloomberg allowed the big guns to come to the table.

What do you think? Would you like to see a who’s who of the anti and pro-freedom camps have civil debate and discourse?