Love him or hate him, Colbert truly does understand both sides of this issue, in particular. He's been adroitly lampooning both sides for over a decade that I'm aware of, and that's not easy for an ignoramus.
His question, and it's follow up, are actually very good and very important (which is surely why they were omitted in the broadcast, from what I understand). Jeb's citing the 10th amendment is nonsense; it delegates to the states those powers not reserved for the federal branches --nothing else (including those powers neither delegated to the states
nor the federal branches --the 9th amendment. Talk about impossible, idealistic nonsense in the face of 'realpolitik' by esteemed, experienced, educated, lawyer-statesmen, right?
). The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; not 'by congress,' not by anybody. Period. States
may be able to pass laws concerning speech and religion, but not
congress, by the 1st Amendment (because at that some, many/most already did). But not firearms; never firearms.
Between his fundamental ignorance of basic civics questions like this, and his
extremely hesitant support of gun rights outside political expediency, his fundamental ignorance of the machines themselves (seriously; who with as much money as he does
doesn't own a single firearm at this point in their life, and isn't also morally opposed to them?), and his entire immediate family's staunch opposition to civilian gun ownership (except when giving lip-service for political expediency; the Bush family has done more to harm national gun rights than any other person or group in modern memory, now that Bubba's assault weapons ban has expired. Reagan bringing up the rear by half a nose) who in their right mind could
possibly have any doubt? The only other guy without a gun is a
New Jerseyan in charge of upholding their oppressive laws, for crying out loud!
Sure fire ticket to new gun restrictions in the wake of some tragedy, that Jeb Bush. He would see us utterly disarmed and defenseless in some arbitrary geographic designation, so long as 51% of our peers desired it. He would see us imprisoned for daring to venture into the same from a place of
actual freedom.
We'll see if he even realizes what he let slip, and walks it back in a day or so...
TCB