For years, we were told that no one was coming for our guns, that gun control was simply about stopping the wrong people from getting guns. We, the law-abiding, weren’t the issue and they knew it so they weren’t going to come for our guns. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that over the years.

Even discussions of so-called assault weapon bans made absolutely sure that those who already had such rifles would be able to keep those. No one was coming for our guns, after all.

Then Beto O’Rourke opened his mouth and changed everything. He simply said what we all knew to be true.

Now, it seems other Democrats feel that since he’s kicked things off, it’s fair game to discuss it as a viable option. That includes at least one governor.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday that he would consider requiring assault weapon owners to sell such guns back to the government, sparking an instant backlash from Republican legislators.

The GOP’s top leaders said Evers finally revealed what they believe is Democrats’ true goal of disarming legal gun owners. They promised that he would never succeed as long as Republicans control the Legislature.

“With Governor Evers considering confiscating firearms from law-abiding citizens, it shows just how radical Democrats have become,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a joint statement.

…

During a news conference in which the governor touted the red flag bill, he was asked if he supports mandatory buybacks of assault rifles. Evers tried to avoid answering directly, saying he’s focused on the red flag proposal and the universal background check bill. Asked if that meant he didn’t support buybacks, Evers responded: “I’d consider it.”

Even though some Democrats have resisted the idea of mandatory buybacks, Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke tweeted that at least Evers was being honest about Democrats’ agenda. He followed that up with a statement saying mandatory buybacks would never happen as long as Republicans control the statehouse.

Undoubtedly, Evers would argue that “I’d consider it” is a far cry for actually supporting a measure. I get that.

But he’s wrong.

The truth of the matter is that unless you’re open to actually taking the guns from law-abiding Americans, you wouldn’t consider any such thing for any reasons whatsoever. The fact that he’d consider it simply reflects his lack of support for the right of individual Americans to keep and bear certain arms.

The problem is that the Second Amendment doesn’t discriminate as to which arms are covered and which aren’t. It’s important to remember that when the Second Amendment was penned, cannons were the single most destructive weapon available to anyone, yet our Founding Fathers saw no issue with those in private hands.

By being willing to “consider” a mandatory buyback, Evers has made it quite clear that our rights are up for discussion in his mind. That’s not surprising from a Democrat, of course. The surprise is how someone like Beto has managed to get fellow Democrats to take off the masks they’ve been wearing for years now.

They want our guns. They’re going to come for our guns if they get the chance.

Let’s not give them that opportunity.