We seem to be losing the media battle

[R.W.Dale]

We need to scare the politicians again just like we did in 1994. That is all they understand. The media is irrelevant if we let the politicians know their days as a cushy, lucrative member of their club is numbered. Threaten them with being fired.

Remember that last election where the most unpopular incumbent president in history won reelection largely due to the nations increasingly urban/suburban demographic?

Yeah its not 1994 any more and they are fully aware of that fact.




posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complains about

 

[skeeziks]

They keep saying "we need strickter gun control laws...we have to get these 'weapons of war' off the streets."

I have never once heard them explain how it will "get them off the streets."

They can ban all the weapons and high-cap mags they want! The bad guys are still gonna have them....
We don't have a Gun problem...we have a Violence problem.

 

[jason41987]

so no ones angry at the NRA for throwing the first amendment under the bus?

 

[DammitBoy]

I'm angry at the NRA for not fighting harder for the last eight years, because we all knew gun bans were kryptonite to politicians...

 

[CookeMonster]

Most of the Left / liberal polls that I've seen are fairly close (53-47%ish) against gun bans. Right / conservative polls have a vast majority against gun bans. I don't think the media is an accurate representation of the people nor the politicians.

 

[jason41987]

actually.. the courts themselves and a couple good lawyers have been doing all the work we need... the lifted the DC gun ban, the chicago gun ban, clarified to everyone that the second amendment applies to all individual US citizens, and just recently said chicagos complete refusal of allowing conceal carry permits was unconstitutional...

so with the supreme court and court of appeals on our side i really just dont think theres anything any of these politicians could do that the courts wouldnt simply raise an eyebrow to and firmly tell them to get lost

 

[SilentScream]

To my knowledge we've never has so much as a foot hold in the media. I'm sure we all realize, here, that the corporate media has always been against us as gun owners. I think the reason everyone seems to be surprised by this latest fusillade is that the anti's have been relatively quiet for a great many years. However I think they see this tragedy as their "in" so to speak, and as such possibly their only chance to get what they want. Hence the shameless push on the backs of these poor dead kids. Of course if you read the polls on the corporate media sites they are predictably almost universally in favor of more "reasonable" gun control laws. However I think the fact that just about every store that sells firearms is pretty well sold out sends a very clear message to everyone on both sides.

 

[Xyr]

so no ones angry at the NRA for throwing the first amendment under the bus?

I'm irritated that instead of a well articulated but firm stance that while we grieve with all victims and their families we will never surrender our rights or allow them to continue to be watered down. But we got blaming "Splatterhouse" (lol - 1990 called, they want their game back)

I joined the NRA because I want them to fight tooth and nail for my Second Amendment rights. Every time I look at my wife, I know what I'm willing to fight and die for. I wanted him to make the case that as always, the NRA supports *safe* and *responsible* firearm ownership. Talk about all the safety and training courses the NRA offers.

Instead he came off as out of touch and is being portrayed as such.

 

[22-rimfire]

I think some of you are over reacting. The NRA is doing exactly what it needs to do; recommended security, stress training, pointed the finger at the culture, mental health, continues to fight for the cause, and uses the tools available to it. You don't pick fights now that you can't win. There will be time to discuss the details. I think the liberal Democrats want a quick set of recommendations that get written into legislation before the tears dry.

 

[somerandomguy]

so no ones angry at the NRA for throwing the first amendment under the bus?

No one is restricting their first ammendment. We're telling them to **** because who do they think they are? They have absolutely NO right pressuring congress to take our rights away. It's one thing for them to be anti-guns, it's a whole other issue when they start FORCING their viewpoints on us by telling congress to ban our weapons. OF COURSE we're going to defend ourselves when personal affronts are made against us.

Also, who the hell do Cenk Uygur, Piers Morgan, Ana Kasparian, and David Pakman think they are? They immigrate to OUR country and force their beliefs down our throats. If they hate America so god damn much, they can pack their frickin bags and leave. They have no right immigrating here and then dictating what we do in our own lives especially if it isn't affecting other people. I have the same issue with all the christian wackos in our country who try to cram their anti-abortion views down our throats. All the idiots that I listed in general just need to mind their own business.

 

[Deanimator]

If all you read in 1944 was "Die Volkischer Beobachter" and "The Mainichi Shimbun", you'd think we were losing the war.

 

[k_dawg]

The Right to free speech does not mean certain free speech is corrosive to society.

 

[Trent]

Since when has the mainstream media been PRO gun?

The fact that they're covering anti-gun 100x more than pro-gun viewpoints shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

Social media is the counterpunch.

Tell your friends you like shooting. Post some range pics (make sure to smile!). Get people out to the range to dispel their fears and uncertainty.

I taught over a dozen noobs this year to pull the trigger safely. I've won every anti-gun debate I've been in on social media. I've met new people. Made new friends. And the last week, the vast majority of my "friends list" is posting pro-gun stuff.

People will believe PEOPLE, especially people they KNOW, over the mainstream media.

NO ONE trusts the news to be objective anymore.

The news has to continually become more and more flagrant, more shocking, more emotional, just to catch people's attention.

Because face it. Your average American doesn't get the news from CNN or MSNBC or Fox News anymore. They get it from Facebook, Twitter, etc. They get news from their PEERS.

 

[Todd93843]

Also, who the hell do Cenk Uygur, Piers Morgan, Ana Kasparian, and David Pakman think they are? They immigrate to OUR country and force their beliefs down our throats. If they hate America so god damn much, they can pack their frickin bags and leave. They have no right immigrating here and then dictating what we do in our own lives especially if it isn't affecting other people. I have the same issue with all the christian wackos in our country who try to cram their anti-abortion views down our throats. All the idiots that I listed in general just need to mind their own business.

I actually like Cenk and Ana. I'm a fan of The Young Turks. I don't agree with them on the gun issue. But they cover a lot of civil liberty issues that I do appreciate. And, by the way, Ana was born here and Cenk has been here since he was a child. I don't think it's real productive to tell American citizens to pack up and leave.

But I agree with the thread title. Unfortunately, I think we are going to see out 2nd Amendment rights limited. I hope it is not to the degree being discussed.

I will say one thing- after seeing the sheep hating on guns constantly over the last week, I did do one thing: I re-joined the NRA!

 

[Highcaliber]

A United Front

I'm hoping that the companies devoted to the AR15 platform will join forces for a united front. Maybe we should all urge them to do so. I'm talking about a concerted effort, not everyone for themsleves. Shared expense and shared gains.

Daniel Defense, Stag, Troy, Sabre Defense, BCM, S&W, DPMS, Magpu, Noveske, Patriot Ordinance, LMT, LWRC, Windham, Core15, Ruger, Sigarms, etc. The more the better.

With these companies all working for a common goal (ie, NO BAN ) then progress can be made, PRO-GUN public service announcements, PRO GUN Paid Commercial Programs, PRO GUN Web Ad campaigns, etc, all funded by these co-op dollars. Everytime someone goes online they need to be confronted with a tsunami of PRO GUN popups and Vids, and I'm not talking about ads on gun forums, we are already pro gun. We need the Keyword prompted ads focused on the broader audience.

We can't just depend on the NRA to get something done. Signing a dozen different mixed petitions and passive venting won't get it done.

 

[somerandomguy]

I actually like Cenk and Ana. I'm a fan of The Young Turks. I don't agree with them on the gun issue. But they cover a lot of civil liberty issues that I do appreciate. And, by the way, Ana was born here and Cenk has been here since he was a child. I don't think it's real productive to tell American citizens to pack up and leave.

But I agree with the thread title. Unfortunately, I think we are going to see out 2nd Amendment rights limited. I hope it is not to the degree being discussed.

I will say one thing- after seeing the sheep hating on guns constantly over the last week, I did do one thing: I re-joined the NRA!

I'm a TYT fan also, but he blatantly misleads people on gun control and illegal immigration. I can't respect a guy who claims he has the "most unbiased news organisation in the world" and then flat out lies and misrepresents issues. Cenk is the reason I became a Liberal, and he earned alot of my respect when he quit rather than be bribed off the air on MSNBC because he was so confrontational. Still, doesn't excuse his willful ignorance and intentions.

Ana wasn't actually born here I don't think, she's originally from Armenia i believe. Regardless, I stand by my statements, if they don't like it here, they can re-immigrate back to their own countries and have all the gun control they want there.

 

[Dr_B]

Of course we are losing the "media battle." The battle is always rigged and based more on stories that are created rather than reported from facts.

Remember: There's facts, and then there's news.

 

[BryanDavis]

Look on the bright side, just being on this website you are part of the media battle.

The more members this particular site has, and the more activity it has, is representative of how much power gun owners have as a voting bloc.

 

[Pilot]

R.W. Dale wrote:

Remember that last election where the most unpopular incumbent president in history won reelection largely due to the nations increasingly urban/suburban demographic?

Yeah its not 1994 any more and they are fully aware of that fact.

That is a very, very salient point, and very true. The country has changed and continues to change. We all were caught off guard by this shift, and the fact a President could get re-elected in such a poor economy with such a poor track record. We all thought it was another Jimmy Carter scenario. Boy was I wrong.

However, the positives. Handguns, CCW, and AR-15's are now mainstream, much more than in 1994. How many people had AR's back then or the plethora of variations, and accessories? How many CCW's compared to today? First time gun owners, and women now make up a much larger segment of gun owners. We need these people on our side, and as they grow we can use their numbers at the ballot box. The fight is far from over.

 

[lionking]

While most of the media may sway toward promoting regulations if you look at any internet media report where people can leave comments to it you will see that many people respond by calling out the report.

That ability now is a far cry from what we had back in 1992 when the media were free to say whatever they want with hardly any rebuttal.

 

[Alnamvet68]

It is interesting to note that since the passage of these "legal to get recreationally stoned on illegal drugs" laws, some school D.A.R.E. programs have been eliminated, and for obvious reasons...it (D.A.R.E.) conflicts with what the states have essentially legislated. That said, these very same certified LEO's that are in our public schools already should be part of the security enhancement plans that some are calling for. An alternative would be to pay off duty LEO's to work on site in those school districts that want enhanced security. Scool districts that want no part of any armed security force should be allowed to elect that route, and with that choice, parents of children in these districts shoul also be free to remove their children from these schools and be eligible for tuition subsidies if they place their children in parochial schools, or just be simply allowed to place them in what they perceive to be safer school districts.

While some of these suggestions may be doable, the fact of the matter is that no school district, whether it be in the sewers of Chicago, or the peacefull affluence of suburbia, can trully be safe from being victimized by those who obtain, possess, and have intent to commit a crime using and possessing illegally obtained weapons. I don't have a perfect solution, but the reality is that those who are absolutely forbidden from possessing a handgun have no problem securing one if that's what they want to do. The law abiding citizedn goes through hoops to buy a handgun, and must go through another maze if he/she wishes to carry that legally obtained handgun concealed and in public; the criminal and the criminally insane don't bother with these rules.

 

[gym]

If everyone who was pro gun was pro active, it would be a good beginning. debating these issues with each other is really not as important as getting the information out to the people who shape public opinion. We have thousands of members who could and should be writing letters to their Congressmen and Senators, as well as all of the mainstream media corporations, like CNN, ABC,etc. They can't ignore when hundreds of thousands of people call and write them. the main problem is that we as a pro gun community are expecting someone else to "handle " this instead of taking action ourselves.
There should be a march on Washington, just like in the decades past. If a million gun owners show up on the White House lawn, it would speak volumes, that's the way to get peoples attention, not by hoping it goes away.
You know that line about "when good men do nothing", well that's what is happening now. We are watching this as if it were hapening someware else and not here and not to us.
We need to have statewide protests, peacefull demonstrtions, about the state of the country, and the right to bear arms. And intelligent dialog, "there must be some pretty smart gun owners out there since we comprise half the population, is there no one who can speak for us other than the NRA, I pay my dues every year, but they are just 1 organization that has been demonized by the media, perhaaps we need more individuals who are in the public eye to come forward and pick up the torch.
This has to go more mainstream than just a bunch of gun owners venting to each other, we need to get our side out there.
I don't know how you start,other than the suggestions I made, but admitting we have a problem is the beginning of any dialog.
We need a voice to rallye around, and some leadership and organization to act in a meaningfull way.