Sen. Alex Padilla tells Congress our priorities are entirely backward when it's easier to buy a gun than cast a ballot

Here’s this talking point again. It was just this weekend that former education secretary Arne Duncan shared his “simple dream for America” — that it be made harder to buy a gun than to vote. Now California Sen. Alex Padilla is telling the Senate Judiciary Committee — during a hearing on gun violence — that America’s priorities are entirely backward “when we make it easier to buy a gun than we do to vote.” We notice neither CBS News nor Twitter flagged this one as misinformation.

Sen. Padilla: "In a majority of states, new voters are able to obtain a rifle quicker than they're able to cast their first ballot. It seems to me we have our priorities entirely backwards when it comes to this — when we make it easier to buy a gun than we do to cast a ballot." pic.twitter.com/W87OCNCkJ0

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 23, 2021

His first statement might be true … if the election is months away. Then you probably could obtain a rifle before voting, if you pass the background check and present a valid ID.

FALSE. https://t.co/dn88tLKEzw

— It’s Just Jenn (@JennJacques) March 23, 2021

GP Well, we don't have a two year waiting period for firearms purchases and the next federal elections are around 2 years away now, so … https://t.co/RexausP36y

— The Gormogons (@Gormogons) March 23, 2021

Snopes and PolitiFact accept your argument and rate Padilla’s claim “True.”

You don't have to go through a background check to vote. This is completely untrue. https://t.co/gPoTgpiH3a

— Dave McCulloch ?? (@dtmcculloch) March 23, 2021

You need to show a valid id to buy a gun https://t.co/cwbSZ3TPdM

— woka-cola (@ElliotR) March 23, 2021

Elections are only held twice a year or on special occasions.

Purchasing a firearm is a transaction that is conducted millions of times a year; which requirements include a government ID & a background check (NOT required to vote). https://t.co/MJnvrEYC65

— Realist & Curmudgeon (@PenguinsFan62) March 23, 2021

Show your work, @SenPadilla.

Registration to vote took me two minutes. It took less time than filling out a 4473 to buy a gun. And that was without a background check.

The only delay in casting my first vote was because it wasn't election day yet. https://t.co/pwgBDMC7XW

— Tom Knighton (@TheTomKnighton) March 23, 2021

You're going to need to prove this just like every other imbecile that tries to pawn off this lie. https://t.co/lTWBnM2KgD

— Mike du Jour (@MikeLester) March 23, 2021

This is such a lie. https://t.co/WqFNq2FGnn

— Sourkidz (@_SourKidz_) March 23, 2021

Looks like the talking points people are getting the results they wanted.#TrollingCulture https://t.co/M2FrFbl80H

— Cranky Gordon (@StillCrankyAF) March 23, 2021

These people are the biggest liars on the planet.

When Democrats lie like this, it is easy to figure out they have a dangerous political agenda: They want to corrupt elections and disarm American citizens.?https://t.co/8xe0HKao8u

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 23, 2021

I must have missed my AR 15 sent to me in the mail last year? Maybe my neighbor got mine? https://t.co/Pi2htysAyP

— DaftPups (@PleasantPups) March 23, 2021

@SenAlexPadilla is flat-out lying. He changed the voting laws here, which are the easiest in the nation. You sign up for a driver's license and you can sign up to vote. But getting a gun? Had to wait 10 days and I'm restricted to certain models. This speech is BS. #GunGrabbers https://t.co/HpJoR9qaxA

— Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, BA, MPW, Eata Bita Pi (@asthegirlturns) March 23, 2021

Even after 10 days, if you don't pick up your firearm within a certain window, you have to do it all over again! Fees are involved. #California restricts gun rights, and when @SenAlexPadilla was SOS, he helped lead the charge. A racist, who doesn't care about anyone's safety. https://t.co/HpJoR9qaxA

— Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, BA, MPW, Eata Bita Pi (@asthegirlturns) March 23, 2021

We have a new challenger for dumbest Senator https://t.co/f69Cex8MO0

— Pudge (@pudgenet) March 23, 2021

cc @PolitiFact https://t.co/4SZ6ddLBSk

— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) March 23, 2021

Both purchasing a weapon and casting a ballot should be as easy as possible. Both are rights recognized by the Constitution. Government should equally safeguard both. https://t.co/kNvjf7vv8d

— Corban (@Corban_Q) March 23, 2021

Would you accept a grand bargain where a national, high-throughput, low-latency service was used to verify citizenship for voting, employment, and gun ownership? (All three would be virtually instant.) https://t.co/f3PFnTp3rC

— Vikram Bath1 (@vikrambath1) March 23, 2021

You’re asking him as a Democrat? No way.

* * *

Update:

Here’s Townhall’s Katie Pavlich:

Nope. Not even close. First, you must show identification. Next, you fill out background check forms, usually one for the state and then one for the feds. If the system is backed up, people wait for days to get approved for their firearm purchase. https://t.co/GYtmvpVx6b

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) March 23, 2021

And here’s Dana Loesch:

Not even remotely true. https://t.co/YWC14MpFnC

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 23, 2021

Related:

This again: Obama’s education secretary dreams for it to be harder to buy a gun than to vote https://t.co/Wm5e9UZgZH

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 20, 2021