The officially stated idea of gun control is that it will stop bad people from getting guns.

The problem with this idea is that it assumes way too much about how bad people obtain their weapons in the first place. They’re not walking into their local gun store and buying firearms.

Nor are they necessarily buying them from people who are trying to lawfully sell a gun.

For example, in New Jersey, they have universal background checks.

That didn’t stop these guys from trying to skip that step.

From July to September of this year, Carlo De Jesus, a 26-year-old Newark resident sold four firearms, including two rifles and a semi-automatic handgun to undercover law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. De Jesus also sold fentanyl and cocaine to law enforcement, Sellinger said.

…

De Jesus and Gonzalez were both charged with dealing with firearms without a license, transferring firearms to an out-of-state resident and firearms trafficking. De Jesus was also charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. De Jesus faces up to 20 years in prison and Gonzalez faces up to 15 years in prison.

Now, these are allegations and both will have their day in court where they can prove their innocence.

It’s interesting that both of these guys were also allegedly dealing fentanyl. It’s almost as if drug dealers are perfectly content to also deal firearms to people who have the money, like gun control will never really be able to stem the flow of guns to criminal hands.

“Oh, but New Jersey’s gun control problems are because other states don’t have strong gun control laws,” someone will invariably respond.

Yet, if that’s true, why is it that these guys were allegedly dealing fentanyl? Is it because other states lack strong laws restricting deadly opioids?

Oh, wait, that can’t be the case because it’s restricted federally. You can’t get it legally without a doctor’s prescription and they don’t exactly write those prescriptions for mild aches and pains. It’s not like Motrin handed out in the military–we called those GI M&Ms for a reason–it’s serious stuff.

In fact, it’s restricted in ways that we could never enact gun control, even if we so desired, because of the Second Amendment.

Here’s the thing that people need to understand. Drugs come into this country from elsewhere. Pfizer isn’t selling opioids under the table to street-level dealers.

So, if drugs can get into the country and be disseminated to dealers on the streets, why would anyone be surprised that drug dealers can get guns and are willing to sell them to people?

You shouldn’t be. If there’s a demand, someone will try to fill it.

Gun control will never stop bad actors from getting guns. We know this because we can’t stop people from getting things like fentanyl.

Meanwhile, law-abiding people who want firearms for their own protection have to jump through gun control hoops just to get a gun in the first place, treating the good guys like criminals while actually doing nothing to the criminals.