X-Rap said:
Frank, If we take a state like yours that has had a fairly constant drift toward disarming the public do you put that blame on the ones you say are loud and offensive or is it due to those who are overall liberal in their views and consider the 2A some dusty old remnant of days gone by.
I only single out CA because 40 or 50 yrs ago from what I have read it was a different world and is worthy of study for those of us that wonder what happened and how to prevent it from happening again....
There are probably a lot of reasons for increasing support in many places for gun control.
A lot of it started with the assassinations in the 1960s of JFK, RFK and MLK by nut cases with guns. Those were wildly popular public figures, and their murders laid the foundation for the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968.
A lot has to do with the continuing urbanization of America. California, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, etc., are strongly anti-gun in part because the bulk of the political power in those States is in a few major cities. The rural parts of those States are much more pro-gun or neutral. And in States like Washington and Oregon which generally have decent gun laws, the urban centers area still hot beds of anti-gun sentiment.
People tend to look for support and validation from others who share their tastes and values; and they distinguish themselves, often in a denigrating manner, from those who do not. So the city dweller likes to fancy himself sophisticated, socially liberal, well educated, urbane, fashionable, etc.; and he wants to associate with, and have his self image validated by, people he perceive are like him. And they set themselves apart from those they find different -- such as the type of person they believe usually owns guns.
Of course that's a gross oversimplification of a complex social phenomenon. But I think it works for this illustration.
When such folks listen to a Glenn Beck or a Ted Nugent, it reinforces their beliefs about why they aren't like, nor do they want to be like, gun owners. It thus further hardens their anti-gun sentiment.
If we want to make a dent in urban anti-gun sentiments, we need people who have guns but are otherwise similar to them. We must challenge their anti-gun sentiments by demonstrating that their perspectives on other things aren't inexorably intertwined with hating guns. A Glenn Beck harangue is not going to make a Suzi Soccermom question her belief that guns are bad, but listening to a gun owning Suzi Soccermom just might.
Many like the Glenn Becks, et al, because they say what we like to hear. We hear them and our response is like "you tell 'm." So they're cheerleaders reinforcing our beliefs.
But attributes that may make someone an effective cheerleader are not the attributes that make one a good spokesperson. To be a good spokesperson one needs to be able to effectively tell our story to people who don't necessarily want to hear it.
