Bernie Sanders used to be somewhat pro-gun. At that point, he was just pandering to the people of Vermont who were also pretty pro-gun. Now, he’s running for president and he’s trying to be very anti-gun. That’s honestly not surprising since he’s an avowed socialist and the thing about socialism is that you can vote yourself into it, but you have to shoot your way out of it. An anti-gun socialist is about as surprising as tasty food a Chic-fil-A.

However, while espousing his anti-gun nonsense, he apparently came up with an all-new talking point.

“Number one: we need universal background checks. People who have a violent past, including domestic violence, should not be owning guns,” he said. “Number two: we have to end the so-called ‘gun show loophole,’ which allows people to legally purchase guns while avoiding a background check.”

“Number three: we gotta end the so-called ‘strawman provision,’ which allows you to walk in, buy as many guns as you want, and then sell them to gangs and criminal elements,” Sanders explained. “Number four: what we gotta do – and something that I have supported for like 30 years – is ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in this country.”

His numbers one, two, and four are things we’ve argued against for a while and I’m not going to waste time on those matters here and now. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again later.

Right now, though, I want to address the “strawman provision.”

The “strawman provision” is what, precisely?

Of course, to be fair, we all know he’s talking about straw buys, right? However, straw purchases have been illegal for ages. They’re not legally permitted, though they happen all the time. It’s difficult to stop someone from carrying out a straw buy if they’re careful.

Yet Bernie suggests this is a provision, something explicitly allowed. The term “provision” suggests that he’s talking about something that isn’t just poorly enforced, but something that is explicitly permitted.

The problem is Bernie’s phrasing here. He describes this mythical “provision” as something that “allows you to walk in, buy as many guns as you want, and then sell them to gangs and criminal elements.” Now, as noted, straw buys are already illegal, so what’s he talking about?

Now, I can’t be certain because I’m not in Bernie’s head (thank you Jesus!), but it seems to me that more of the discussion here is about something very different.

Bernie seems to be talking about gun rationing.

He doesn’t mention these “strawman provisions” as simply buying a gun for someone who is legally barred from owning. No, he makes reference to people buying a bunch of guns to sell to the bad guys. He’s trying to frame it so that people think anyone who buys a bunch of guns is someone who is looking to sell them to criminals.

As such, it appears as though he’s looking to limit how many guns you can buy. Couple that with his push for laws that limit where you can buy and what you can buy, it’s a full-on assault on our Second Amendment rights.

About what one can expect from a socialist.