A gun, in and of itself, can do nothing. It has no conscious will, no ability to move itself, nothing that would make it capable of doing anything but carry out the intentions of the person holding it.

In most cases, that intention is either recreation or self-defense. Sometimes, unfortunately, it's not.

Yet no matter what, the gun can do nothing without a person pulling the trigger.

This little fact is what struck me about a press release I came across earlier today. A candidate for Congress out of Virginia decided to make a big thing about giving away his own firearm.

Adrian Pokharel, Democratic candidate for Virginia's 10th District, took a bold step today by turning in his assault rifle to the local police in Gainesville. "I support the Second Amendment, but with rights come responsibilities, which means banning weapons of war that can cause mass casualties in our neighborhoods" Pokharel stated.

As a combat veteran and intelligence officer, who advocates for public health and safety, Pokharel emphasized the urgent need for sensible gun laws. He supports implementing strict background checks, mandatory waiting periods, and properly recorded transactions of gun sales. "We are spending too much time and energy debating how to control women's bodies instead of protecting lives from the epidemic of gun violence," he added.

Pokharel is calling for a national movement to prioritize public safety over politics. He believes we need to start practicing what we preach and he encourages all leaders to put people before politics and make real progress in passing sensible gun laws.

In a direct appeal to the White House and political leaders, Pokharel emphasized the need for immediate action to address gun violence and ensure safer communities. "Together, we can create a future where our children do not have to live in fear of gun violence," he concluded.

Here's the thing that Pokharel needs to understand, no one was made safer by him turning in his own AR-15 unless he's acknowledging that he's a threat to people's safety.

I mean, he's a politician, which aren't the most reputable souls out there--looking at you, Gold Bars Bob (Menendez)--but most of them aren't known for committing acts of violence.

So who did he protect by handing his guns over to authorities?

Moreover, why did he have one in the first place?

One would assume that, as a Democrat interested in representing the 10th district of Virginia, he probably held positions at least fairly close to what Democrats throughout Congress hold. That would include gun control, particularly with regard to AR-15s.

So why did he buy one in the first place?

Or did he buy one just to turn it in and make a big show of it? 

Honestly, these are the questions he should be answering if he wants us to remotely consider taking his performative art piece here seriously.

And yes, it's part of his performance and nothing more, because for all his talk of practicing what he preaches, the truth is that he made a big show of turning in something that represented no risk at all to anyone. It's bad enough if he'd had the gun for ages and decided to turn it in now, but it's worse if he bought it just to turn in.

Either way, it's stupid.