In a move that’s about as surprising as a vegan opening a steakhouse, the self-proclaimed common ground anti-gun group 97Percent has tapped former cop Christopher Carita as its new leader. You know the type: 97Percent markets itself as the moderate voice in the gun debate, promising to bridge divides with practical solutions that somehow always involve more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. But appointing Carita? That’s like hiring a fox to guard the henhouse—except the fox is wearing a badge from his days enforcing the very laws he now wants to expand. Carita’s background as a cop isn’t just any beat; he’s got a track record of pushing hardline anti-gun rhetoric, including support for red flag laws and universal background checks that critics argue erode due process faster than a politician flips on campaign promises.
Dig deeper, and the irony thickens like bad gravy. 97Percent’s branding screams bipartisanship—think handshakes across the aisle and kumbaya moments—but Carita’s resume reads like a Giffords Law Center wish list. During his law enforcement stint, he advocated for measures that disproportionately target Second Amendment rights without addressing root causes like mental health or criminal recidivism. This isn’t common ground; it’s a Trojan horse. For the 2A community, it’s a stark reminder that these groups aren’t here to compromise—they’re rebranding extremism to lure in the squishy middle. We’ve seen it before with Everytown’s astroturfing and Brady’s fearmongering; now 97Percent is just the latest wolf in sheep’s clothing, using a cop’s authority to lend credibility to their disarmament agenda.
The implications? Pro-2A advocates need to ramp up scrutiny and counter-narratives. Call out the hypocrisy on social media, highlight how these moderates stack their leadership with radicals, and push back with data: violent crime drops in constitutional carry states, not nanny-state utopias. This appointment isn’t a win for dialogue; it’s a signal flare for gun grabbers to double down. Stay vigilant, Second Amendment defenders—common ground with wolves only gets you eaten.