How do we stop this gun control virus

[kwguy]

We need to make sure we continue to vote and put the appropriate people in congress. Despite who sits in the White House, the bills must be introduced in congress, and actually make it out of committee before even being voted on.

We must ensure that pro 2a politicians are heads of the appropriate committees and are in the majority in congress.

I cringe to think of how it would have turned out in the beginning of 2013 if there wasn't a majority of pro 2a politicians in the House. Several states took a huge hit for loss of their rights, but on the federal level, nothing was going to get out of committee in the House, and even if it did get through the Senate, it was not going to make it through the House, let alone make it to the desk of the president.

There wasn't (and still isn't) a HUGE majority of pro 2a folks in the house, but it was enough to stem the potential disaster that was coming. Remember to vote this fall to keep the congress pro 2a.

(I didn't want to name parties, but I think we know what's what, for the most part, on that issue).

 

[GAF]

It is readily apparent to me that the reason we have the gun laws we have is a good portion (at least half) of the 80 million gun owners don`t feel the way we
do. The other half accepts the reasonable gun law argument and gives our rights to the anti gun crowd a little at a time.

After all you can see this by who was elected and then elected.

 

[AlexanderA]

If we made Socialism illegal and unprofitable and simply followed the U. S. Constitution to the letter and do away with The Supremes (political appointees) telling us what the Bill of Rights really "means" we wouldn't have these problems. People also need to stop assuming that our Senators and Representatives actually care what "we the people" think about their actions. They're only in it for the money. They'll tell you whatever they think you want to hear. And then do whatever they need to to get more money. When I worked for the NRA I saw how almost every one of them keeps two different response letters for their constituents. Many times the wrong letter gets mailed back to you. While I am certain that there actually are honest politicians who remain loyal to the Oath of Office I have only personally been able to find a very small handful and in a "Democracy" they cannot win. Therein lies the basic problem with "Democracy" (which the Founding Fathers rejected strongly when the Constitution was written.) The United States is not and was never intended to be a "Democracy". It is a Constitutional Republic. Try selling that concept to our current Government. Read The Federalist Papers.

I can't let this pass without comment.

1. "Socialism" is an economic ideology. By itself, it has nothing to do with gun rights. It's only a coincidence that a lot of people on the Left are also in favor of gun control. The real Left (Communists, etc.) are not necessarily against guns.

2. The U.S. Constitution itself establishes the Supreme Court and specifies that the Justices are appointed for life ("for good behavior"), to insure that they are indeed independent. The role of the Supreme Court as the arbiter of constitutionality was established in the early case of Marbury v. Madison. Nobody seriously disputes this.

3. If politicians are really "only in it for the money," and don't care what the people think, the remedy is to vote them out of office. In this day and age, things like bribery will eventually come out. If the voters ignore this, they have no one to blame but themselves.

4. I keep hearing the right-wing meme that the United States "is not a democracy." This ignores history. The idea that this country is a democracy has prevailed at least since the time of Andrew Jackson. And certainly the speeches of Abraham Lincoln are full of references to democracy. We went into World Wars I and II "to make the world safe for democracy." Yes, the country is a constitutional republic. But this is merely the institutional framework through which democracy is expressed. Also, do not confuse "democracy" (the ordered rule by the people) with "ochlocracy" (mob rule).

 

[Arkansas Paul]

How do we stop this gun control virus

The only thing we can do is vote in representatives that are pro constitution.

We will ALWAYS have to deal with anti gun people. By it's very nature, there will always be a certain amount of people who are anti gun.

 

[kwguy]

The only thing we can do is vote in representatives that are pro constitution.

That is absolutely correct. Our way of government (bill of rights, constitution, checks and balances, etc) is rare, and the way our government was formed (enlightened revolutionaries?) is also rare. We MUST make sure we keep our rights intact. We do this at the ballot box. We have to be actively engaged to ensure that our rights are preserved. The majority of the world either does not understand this concept, does not like it, or does not understand it. We ARE in the minority. It is an enlightened minority, but it IS a global minority, VOTE!

 

[AlexanderA]

The only thing we can do is vote in representatives that are pro constitution.

I think it's a mistake to center our argument only on the Constitution. After all, if public sentiment turns overwhelmingly against guns, the Constitution can eventually be amended to our detriment. Therefore, our real campaign has to be to influence public opinion. How do we do this? Get more people interested in shooting, hunting, gun collecting, and other gun-related pursuits. This is the real grassroots activism. More people need to have a vested interest in their guns. Then they would vote for pro-gun candidates, and the party candidates would respond. What I'm saying is that merely voting for "pro-constitution" candidates is like putting the cart before the horse.

Actually, the Constitution is neutral when it comes to social issues. A good example of this is the Prohibition Amendment. When it was passed, the anti-liquor activists thought their battle was won. (Just as the pro-gun activists think that their battle is won because of the presence of the 2nd Amendment.) Well, we all know that Prohibition didn't work because there was too much social resistance against it. If the day ever comes when a substantial majority of Americans turn against guns, we can kiss the 2nd Amendment goodbye.

 

[kwguy]

^^^. I don't disagree with you. It's a shame that guns have become a 'social issue' for many people, but that is the reality. They have gone away from the 'preservation of liberty and rights' reason for the 2a, and have indeed made it a social issue. Many of those folks think that one might be nuts or paranoid to think of the 2a as a measure against tyranny, but that is the reality now for many.

Getting these folks to at least be pro 2a for whatever 'social' reason is at least a step back in the right direction.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I think it's a mistake to center our argument only on the Constitution.

Oh, I certainly don't think that should be the end all be all of our argument either.

We certainly should try and bring as many people around to our way of thinking as possible. No doubt about it.

I was just pointing out that there will always be the extreme anti element. I'm all for shrinking it whenever possible.

 

[jbrown50]

How do we stop this gun control virus?

The reason the founders saw it necessary to include the Second Amendment into the Bill Of Rights is because they knew it wouldn't stop.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

And it isn't going to stop - especially not with Bloomberg waving around millions to encourage it to continue. The good news is the RKBA crowd has faced worse threats with less resources and succeeded beyond expectations. We can beat Bloomberg's agenda and we can outlast the gun banners who are getting older every day.

 

[Red Wind]

^Actually ,according to Forbes, he has got 27 billion. One of the top 10 richest men on the planet. But,I too am an optimist, and believe he'll go down like a floundering Whale, all weight, all bluster. With a few well placed harpoons, he sinks to the bottom of the Hudson.

We've got those harpoons and in the end, Bloomberg becomes a footnote (if that) in the trash bin of history.

Sorry, Mikey. But at 72 ,that clock is ticking. Time and Tide ,you know.
Will Shakespeare will tell you about it someday. If both of you are in the same place!

 

[leadcounsel]

1. Educate everyone in your family about guns.
2. Vote, and make sure everyone votes. It's well known that 1 political party is more anti-gun. Yet that party often wins. And sadly, a lot of votes are not cast, and that could change history.
3. Write-email-call your state and national leaders.

 

[Bobson]

Pro v.s. anti will go on till the end of time. Even if they take all guns away, then it's a knife problem, then a bat problem, then a hammer problem. Energy never ends, it just changes form. Same thing with racism, tattoo everybody green, then it will be the blue eyes against brown, never ends, it just changes form.

Yep.

It's a heart problem. It's mankind's sinful nature, and it's not going anywhere. It will continue to get worse. The best we can do is to make it our mission to impede the degeneration of our society.

 

[Midwest]

We have 100 million gun owners in this country? 10% are NRA members? How many of the 100 million actually go to the polls and vote? There lies the problem.

The gun control virus could be stopped if we had more people voting. And we would have a much larger voice if 90% of gun owners were NRA members.

Bloomberg is spending $30 million of his own money on 'Mom's'. We could outspend him three times over if every gun owner in this country would just contribute $1.... a year !

.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

We have 100 million gun owners in this country? 10% are NRA members? How many of the 100 million actually go to the polls and vote? There lies the problem.

This may sound like a ridiculous statement, but not all gun owners are pro gun.

Dianne Feinstein and Bill Maher are gun owners. Means absolutely nothing.

 

[JDoe]

Nudge the dialog. Support butcher knife registration.

 

[Midwest]

Nudge the dialog. Support butcher knife registration.

They are considering banning them in the U.K.

UK Considers Banning Kitchen Knives

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2972694/posts

.

 

[Edster12]

Basically the people need to take our country back. This is suppose to be a government for the people, by the people. It has been a veeeeeeery long time since most politicians in this country have been one of the people.
Just listen to your Senator or Congressman talk or read their response to your letters. There is never any mention of how a majority of his or her constituents feel, it is always I feel this way or that way on an issue. Most of our elected officials vote on issues to suit their needs or feelings not those of the people that elected them. Well maybe they do vote the way their major contributors want them to.
We need to STOP electing politicians and start electing PEOPLE to office!!!!!

 

[MisterMike]

It will be a continuous battle, fought at every level of government.

One area where we repeatedly fail is in not controlling how the debate is framed.

Now, whenever I write anything anywhere about gun rights, I try to incorporate the notion that we are fighting against "the war on civil rights." Those opposing the RKBA are "anti-rights zealots."

You get the idea . . . without directly attacking the person, we can nonetheless characterize our arguments (accurately, I believe), in terms that convey that we are advocating not just a narrow interest, but a higher set of ideals. We continually fail to do that.

But, that's just on the micro level, where we should be attempting to change attitudes, one person at a time. From a little bit higher level, it's absolutely essential that we work the political process . . . with advocacy and money.

 

[driftpin]

Gun control will be with us until they get all the guns.

The politicians know that guns are not the problem but are just using each and every crisis as much as they can, to chip a little bit off of our 2A rights. These politicians have massive think tanks on their side with people that just sit around and think of how they can spin a story to fit their anti-gun narrative. It's all about control. Without the 2nd Amendment all the others are doomed.

What we need to do is get involved at the local level. Get elected to be on your town council, treasurer, selectmen. At these levels, you'd be surprised at how much influence you can have on statewide elections and that is where you can make laws that can protect your state against rogue federal laws. Work to shore up your state constitutions against any gun grabbers. Look at the laws Utah, Oklahoma and Montana have passed. Anyone of us can get involved, no matter how insignificant of a job you think it is, get involved, and speak your mind. If you can buy a gun, you can get involved. Its the only way we'll ever be accepted. We need to educate people about gun safety and why we carry and not by open carrying into restaurants, ie Starbucks, Chipolte. Open carrying just scares people and does absolutely no good for our cause.

Pay attention to your local and state elections. This is the where the gun grabbers get their start. Just look at our commander in chief. He got his start in state politics. If his opponent would have just run a clean campaign, he wouldn't have made it the Illinois Senate.

 

[majortoo]

Lazy Police

Well, it seems that the police who went to call on the late murderer did not do their homework. It would appear that they did not even check the California data base prior to their visit with him. If they had, they would have realized that he owned three handguns. Perhaps their questioning of him would have given the police more insight. Why have a data base if you don't use it?

 

[Sol]

We have 100 million gun owners in this country? 10% are NRA members? How many of the 100 million actually go to the polls and vote? There lies the problem.

The gun control virus could be stopped if we had more people voting. And we would have a much larger voice if 90% of gun owners were NRA members.

Bloomberg is spending $30 million of his own money on 'Mom's'. We could outspend him three times over if every gun owner in this country would just contribute $1.... a year !

.

......and here in lies the problem. We will take the 2012 presidential election as an example.

Two candidates seperates by a "D" and an "R".

The "D" held the office 4 years prior and earned the name "Zero" for his percieved lack of doing anything. A once no-name senator and community organizer from Chicago. He's anti-gun and no legislation of gun control will pass with an "R" congress and HoR.

The "R", a governer from Massachussetts. We will call him Willard. Willard, the republican front runner, actually had a history of gun grabbing and socialized medicine under his belt.

Speculation:

Say in an alternate universe Willard won the election and Newtown, Aurora and all the other buzz worthy events still took place.

Willard, a veteran of "common sense" gun laws, would legislate new laws and not get stonewalled at all because the "R's" control congress.

So, who are you supposed to vote for?

 

[Red Wind]

So, who are you supposed to vote for?

"It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key."

Winston Churchill on Russia, October,1939.

 

[Old Dog]

Ah, a bit too erudite for most perhaps ...

The answer is, we don't vote for the typical slate of candidate with which we're presented; we must start anew and locate a new breed of candidate. It can be done.

 

[GEM]

1. Vote
2. Make sensible arguments to those who are not hard antis
3. Be willing to use an incremental approach, rather than having all or none (and then you lose) tantrums.
4. Separate your RKBA beliefs from other political issues - don't use the others in arguments - You pinkos, liberals, blah,blah -doesn't do any good.
5. Don't be a jerk and study how to convince people - unlike the Chipolte dynamic duo.