The antigunners are deeply deluded, “9 Reasons Why Progress on Stronger Gun Laws Is Within Reach“:
Swing-state momentum – “… With advocates for stronger gun laws gaining ground in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Virginia, the prospects nationally are bright …”
This isn’t true. The far left gained control of the CO legislature, but not because of the gun issue. The MAIG mayors in PA are nothing more than a phony front for Mayor Bloomberg and lack any genuine public backing. Citing a single close race in VA does not signal the start of any sort of trend.
Evolving demographics – “… Our country is undergoing a culture shift on guns. While the number of guns in circulation in the country has continued to rise, the percentage of households that own guns has been steadily declining for the past three decades … Not only are fewer young people choosing to own guns than in previous generations, but they are also expressing evolving views on the role of guns in American culture …”
There is a cultural shift from Gun Culture 1.0 to Gun Culture 2.0, but not a shift away from guns themselves.
A new center of gravity – “… This latest wave of organizational development follows a previous effort launched in 2000 by Americans for Gun Safety and other groups to gain traction on gun issues by reframing the issue as one of gun safety rather than gun control … The work of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Americans for Responsible Solutions, and others is an attempt to once again redefine the issue …”
While Mayor Bloomberg’s ego is so large it has its own gravitational field, these so-called organizational developments are just a re-branding of the same, fake astroturf groups which have failed in the past. This is a common leftist tactic used to try and keep their issues fresh.
Widening divide between the NRA leadership and public opinion— even among gun owners – “… It has never been clearer that the NRA leadership does not represent the opinion of most Americans—or even most gun owners. While the NRA leadership opposes any expansion in gun background checks, polls show that between 80 percent and 90 percent of Americans support expanded background checks …”
Those polls are bogus as evidenced by other polls reporting only 6% think gun control is an important issue.
The NRA’s path not followed – “… Once upon a time the NRA was a sportsmen’s organization that focused on marksmanship and hunting and had plans to move its headquarters to Colorado Springs to enhance its focus on recreational shooting activities … In recent years the NRA has taken an increasingly extreme position on every gun policy issue and even on matters that have only a tangential relationship to guns … For the first time in its history, for example, the NRA scored votes on Supreme Court nominees for the nominations of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan … In scoring the nominees, the NRA likely appealed to a base of members who identify with the Tea Party, but it alienated Democrats, independents, and some Republicans who thought that Sotomayor and Kagan were well-qualified nominees …”
Both nominees had public records on the 2A that were unfavorable to individual rights. NRA took no position on any other issue that could come before the court.
Democrats and progressives are re-engaged – “… Democrats once again made fighting gun crime and reducing gun violence a central tenet of the party …”
And the result of this was one of their rising stars, Andrew Cuomo, taking a 20+ point drop in his approval rating and pretty much ending all serious discussion of him running for president.
Recent election results – “… If the conventional wisdom has been that the NRA is an almighty juggernaut that cannot be defeated when it decides to spend money on a campaign, that wisdom failed spectacularly in the 2012 elections …”
The 2012 elections were not about guns. The economy was issue #1.
Closing the intensity gap – “… The polling suggests that the long-held conventional wisdom about the intensity of support on gun issues is no longer valid …”
The intensity of antigun activists has never been in question. Ladd Everitt is undoubtedly very passionate about the issue. He’s also fucking nuts. So are other well known leaders including Joan Peterson and Jason Kilgore. Antis even admit their own leadership is a liability.
The numbers – “… The scale of gun violence—not just mass shootings but the everyday gun massacres that occur across big cities and small towns all over the country—is not abating …”
Actually, it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCzCJzTRtPc
Reason No. 2 caught my eye:
“… Not only are fewer young people choosing to own guns than in previous generations, but they are also expressing evolving views on the role of guns in American culture …”
There is a cultural shift from Gun Culture 1.0 to Gun Culture 2.0, but not a shift away from guns themselves.
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Yes, I can confirm personal knowledge of a young person “expressing” his “evolving views” on guns: My 25-year-old son became an NRA Life Member last year, and just last month—after plenty of research—he selected a Glock 26Gen4 as his first CC firearm. Oh, and he decided to stay in West Virginia, where he carries his Glock with 17…legally. That’s my kind of evolution!