Some people argue that there are very few constants in the universe, that everything changes over time. However, those who say that really don’t pay too much attention to politics, especially as it relates to gun laws. There you’ll find plenty of constants, things that never seem to change regardless of the people involved.

One prime example is how anti-gun politicians always equate opposition to so-called “common sense” regulations to cowardice.

New Hampshire Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn says he will file a bill to ban “bump stocks” for guns if his House counterpart cannot muster support to introduce a similar proposal.

Gun debate continues after the mass shooting in Las Vegas that claimed 58 lives and left hundreds injured last week. Woodburn questions if debate will occur at all in Concord.

He vented frustration at the GOP today on NHPR’s call-in program The Exchange. (Listen to the show here.)

“How can we find middle ground?” Woodburn said. “We do that every day in politics. That’s what we do. That’s what we’re supposed to do. But this issue is so polarized and the Republicans have been pistol-whipped – fear of retribution if they even talk about gun control.”

Every. Single. Time.

That’s because anti-gun Democrats can’t fathom the idea that anyone would oppose gun control on any grounds other than being absolutely terrified of the NRA.

It’s not remotely possible, in their mind, that a politician might have read the last bit of the Second Amendment that reads, “the people’s right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” and took that to heart. It can’t possibly be that they understand all new gun laws will do is negatively impact those who have done nothing wrong. It can’t even be that they understand a ban on bump-fire stocks won’t actually do anything since there are alternatives that are essentially unbannable.

No, it can’t be anything like that. It has to be some kind of moral failing. It simply has to be fear.

Don’t get me wrong, Republicans who side with Democrats on gun control tend to not have a long political life expectancy after that, but I’m going to let these New Hampshire Democrats in on a little secret: Most Republicans actually support the Second Amendment on a personal level.

One of these Republicans responded, however. Guess what he suggested as a counter?

Rep. J.R. Hoell, a Republican from Dunbarton, tells NHPR that existing laws should be enforced before any politician starts proposing new ones, including regulations on bump stocks like the ones used by [the killer] in Las Vegas.

Well, now. What about that?

Every year, thousands of convicted felons attempt to purchase a gun illegally but are blocked by the current system. This act is illegal, yet almost nothing is ever done about it. Other convicted felons buy guns through the black market, a black market that almost never gets touched by law enforcement.

If you are serious about reducing gun violence, those are two easy places to start that don’t require new laws. Or are New Hampshire Democrats pistol-whipped by a special interest and can’t actually push for that?