Way back when, there was a time when it looked like we were going to get some degree of gun control. It looked like the only real debate was going to be over just how much we’d end up with. The House could pass any gun control measure they wanted and while McConnell wasn’t really interested in letting them pass the Senate, it seemed he’d acquiesce to President Trump’s wishes.

And Trump definitely seemed interested in passing some degree of gun control.

Then House Democrats decided impeachment was the bigger fish to fry and scuttled the whole damn thing. That was good news for us on the gun rights side of things–who would have thought we’d have reason to thank Nancy Pelosi for anything–but not so good news for the other guys.

Now, though, impeachment has failed. They tried to remove Trump from office and it blew up in their faces. Now, some think it’s a grand time to go back to gun control.

Even in this highly polarized political moment, there are issues that both parties should be able to work on together. It might surprise some observers that one of those issues is gun control.

A year ago, the House passed two bills to broaden federal background check requirements to all private sellers and extend the period of time that a background check can take.

In the six months between the passage of the bills and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement of the impeachment inquiry, neither bill got a single hearing or vote in the Senate. According to McConnell, the bills won’t get a vote in the Senate as long as Trump doesn’t indicate that he would sign them.

Not all Republicans oppose the legislation. A few Republicans who voted for both House bills. Almost all other Republicans, however, fell in line with the National Rifle Association’s position against any gun control measure. Senator Pat Toomey has advocated for a weaker background check bill for years — a bipartisan effort he is ready to revisit and believes the White House could get behind. Still, the Manchin-Toomey bill it would be the most significant piece of gun control in decades.

Oh, I’m sorry, you have a point?

Look, the truth of the matter is that House Democrats had their shot at gun control. They tossed it away because they thought they could remove Trump from office. Now, there’s absolutely no reason for Republicans to alienate the base that remained loyal to them just so they can please people who are still going to hate them at the end of the day.

Pelosi had her shot at getting gun control legislation on the books. She gambled that she could boot Trump from office instead. I guess she thought Vice President Mike Pence would be more amenable for some reason. It doesn’t matter. She let all her chips ride and she came up snake eyes.

Now, though, she’s wanting to go back to square one. It’s like the girl who cheats on you suddenly wanting to pretend it didn’t happen.

Look, Trump values loyalty. He’s not about to turn his back on the people who had his during this whole mess. Anyone with half a brain should have seen this coming.

The fact that anti-gunners didn’t tells you an awful lot about their foresight. That’s not surprising, though, since they also never foresee the ramifications of the gun control policies they push.