• Vote Today!

    If you haven't already voted, please consider doing so.  

    This is THR so we won't tell you how we think you should vote, only that we think it's important that you make your voice heard.  

    Especially if you're jaded about the process.  Make the time.  Get it done.

WSJ article on growing group purchasing guns

hso

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 3, 2003
Messages
68,033
Location
0 hrs east of TN
This is an opportunity if we approach these new folks properly.


The Most Surprising New Gun Owners Are U.S. Liberals​

After decades of decline, gun ownership is rising among Democrats​

American gun culture has long been dominated by conservative, white men. Now, in a marked change, a burgeoning number of liberals are buying firearms, according to surveys and fast-growing gun groups drawing minorities and progressives.

“It’s a group of people who five years ago would never have considered buying a gun,” says Jennifer Hubbert, an anthropology professor at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., who has researched liberal gun owners.

Historically, it wasn’t unusual for Democrats to own guns, with many more of them living in rural areas. Also, hunting was much more popular. But starting in the early ’90s, gun ownership among Democrats dropped significantly. Increasingly divisive political battles over the role of firearms in American society led the Democratic Party to become an advocate for gun regulation. Republicans became the party of gun rights.

Now, today’s Democrats are rediscovering guns.

...

Four decades ago, Democratic gun owners were typically white men, including auto or steel union workers who grew up hunting. Today’s liberal gun owners are much more diverse. Gun dealers saw the largest increase in Black Americans buying guns compared with any other racial group in 2023, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry group. Women accounted for nearly half of new gun buyers from 2019 to 2021, according to the 2021 National Firearms Survey of 19,000 adults, designed by professors at Harvard and Northeastern universities.

Hubbert, the anthropology professor, who received a federal National Endowment for the Humanities grant last year to research liberal gun owners, found that gay and transgender gun owners worried about rising hate crimes and Jewish people feared potential violence from pro-Palestinian groups or individuals. Black gun owners shared similar anxieties
 
The wall street journal - it must be true........
designed by professors at Harvard and Northeastern universities.
Any bias there?
who received a federal National Endowment for the Humanities grant last year
Any bias there?

I know this is post is trying to be informative, or helpful, but look at the credibility of the sources.
 
The one thing those who do not like me owning guns have done REALLY well is convince people who vote for them to give in and buy a gun. Crime here is getting real bad. Those these people kept voting for keep trying to allow the scum to roam free and don't want to stop them. Creating a LOT of new victims who then get to see the "justice system" seems to care less about them. So a lot of them decide maybe calling dial a prayer is not the solution. Best part is when they head out to buy a gun and find out no, you can not just buy one on line like they were "told". When they get to see the hoops they have to jump though to legally buy they get a little bit of an education about the people they have been voting for. :cool:
 
It's good if Liberals and especially liberal Democrats are rediscovering guns, maybe they'll start voting more pro gun.

Maybe they figured out the lies that guns make you more at risk, not less at risk, and have stopped buying the fear of
guns/guns are dangerous the antis in their party were selling.
 
maybe they'll start voting more pro gun.
I sure hope so too, but in the past we've seen a bunch of "do as I say, not as I do" from that segment.

We have a current presidential candidate who has claimed to be a gun owner. This person also stated (while in a prior role in state level government) after a safe storage law was passed, that LEO's would have authority to enter the home of any registered gun owner to verify compliance.

I suppose that's not full on anti-gun, but definitely not pro gun. Enemy of my enemy I guess.
 
There's a possibility for allies among liberals in gun ownership, but it seems these "allies" are crazy and, generally speaking, are the ones committing the most heinous crimes. Two attempts at President Trump within a few months, a couple of mass school shootings and who knows what else...ALL committed by crazy leftists.

I'm pretty sure I don't want those "allies". I know I don't get a choice in the matter, but I certainly don't want to be associated with that filth.
 
Kam said in front of Oprah that she's a gun owner and anyone coming into her house is going to get shot. Think she's an ally? Think john brown gun clubs, Antifa, or the NFA Coalition. Not in any way shape or form are they allies, more like Brown Shirts.
She of course left out the part that she has elite (or at least they used to be elite) security. She will not be the one shooting them. She of course will feel free to tell me I don't need guns as she has people following her around with guns she does not want me to own. After all she is "important" :fire:
 
I like the trend but I agree with the sentiments of how they'll be when it comes to keeping those rights.

To get more on our side, we should invite them to the range and let them practice with more sensible firearms. It bothers me seeing our group of individuals take new shooters to the range and hand them a BFG or high recoiling rifle or shotgun. That kind of thing will really turn people off to firearms. Just because you started with .300 Win mag or. a .44 magnum revolver, does not mean anyone can.

Summer of 2020 really helped our case out and the rhetoric with LEO, I think more people in troubled areas decided to find out, they are their own first responder.
 
"Surprising new gun owners" is only surprising when viewed through the lens of recent history. On another recent thread, I pointed out a couple of examples of "surprising" support for the 2A in California, from decidedly liberal liberals (being opposed to gun control) but which was supported by Republicans who had deep GOP support at the time.

The worst thing to ever happen to gun rights, was letting it become solidly hitched to partisan politics. The GOP should not get to wear the badge of protector of the 2A for the myriad of failures to do so on both national and state levels. If the general public didn't believe that guns = Republicans, we'd be in a much, much better position to reaffirm the 2A. And yet still the majority of gun owners see the party as some sort of Jedi Knights in the equation.
 
This is an opportunity if we approach these new folks properly.

The Most Surprising New Gun Owners Are U.S. Liberals​

After decades of decline, gun ownership is rising among Democrats​

Retiring from CA state government work after 26 years, I have seen the increasing trend of Democrat/Liberal/Feminist/LGBTQ and younger Progressive coworkers becoming gun owners and CCW permit holders.

I was always open about my gun ownership, interest in guns stemming from shooting full-auto M16/M60 in the Army along with 1911 and competing in USPSA matches with my coworkers.

Whenever coworkers asked about my interest in guns or when they tried to argue against gun ownership, I ALWAYS posed the question what they would do if gang bangers/criminals were kicking in their door because they got the wrong house demanding their drug money but 911/police response would be too slow to help them (Actually happened in my city while the occupant in his 20s was on the phone with 911 dispatch and shot the criminal dead who got the wrong house demanding drug money and laid dead at doorway when police arrived).

When coworkers REALIZE 911/police response would be too slow/late to help them when their door is being kicked in, one by one, they concede that gun ownership is necessary for PERSONAL self-defense and become curious about shooting and buying guns. And of course, I offer to take them shooting at the range and have taken hundreds of liberal/Democrat/feminist/LGBTQ/progressive coworkers, neighbors and their family/friends to teach them defensive/point shooting and many of them became gun owners and quite a few CCW permit holders.

BTW, my 4 hour defensive point shooting training outline - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/flinching-drills.864546/post-11416785

Growing trend of gun ownership from thread 5 years ago - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/re-training-of-firearms-related-information.849620/
 
I don’t understand the logic of members of an oppressed and marginalized group voting to have their oppressors take away their right to defend themselves against their oppressors. Perhaps it is an awakening. That would be a good thing.
 
Mark Smith from Four Boxes Diner discuss justices observing new phenomenon of Kamala Harris defending shooting intruder with her gun on Oprah show and WSJ article on new trend of Liberal gun ownership increasing at 2:50 minute of video:

0:00 2A Big 2A Stories​
1:16 Every Justice is Looking at This...​
2:00 Kamala's Interview With Oprah​
2:50 More Liberals Owning Guns​
3:50 Why This Is Great For 2A​
7:40 Great WSJ Article Quotes & Israel Example...​
10:50 This is Crucial For Our Society...​
13:40 Thank You!​
 
Don't forget she said "just because you're a legal gun owner doesn't mean we won't come into your house...." I'd continue with the quote but I don't want to miss quote. The first part is accurate.
 
Posts in this thread are clear examples of why WE have such a hard time advancing our arguments for RKBA. We can't focus on the opportunity and fall into the familiar "us vs. them" approach.

Nothing in the topic denies the Antis are dedicated to disarming the people, but throwing away the opportunity to help people who previously accepted the Anti propaganda that now are starting to question it because of an inability to see beyond political animosity is just self destructive to advocates of RKBA.
 
No matter what a person’s political affiliation is, everyone wants to be safe, especially in their home.
More first time gun owners are taking safety courses, joining gun clubs, and that is men and women.
That is a good direction to be going in.
 
I'd continue with the quote but I don't want to miss quote. The first part is accurate
Exact quote:
> Just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home
> doesn't mean that we're not going to walk into that home and check to see
> if you're being responsible and safe in the way you conduct your affairs."

(We wouldn't want to misquote anyone, now would we ?)

The article continues...
> "...the very next year, she authored an amicus brief for the U.S. Supreme Court in the Heller case,
> suggesting citizens have no individual right to own firearms, and has openly and repeatedly
> called for seizure of firearms through mandatory buybacks and red flag laws, it is reasonable to
> conclude that Harris is prepared to gut the Second Amendment by any means."

There's not a whole lotta wiggle room here.....

~~~~~~~~
For by thy words thou shalt be justified...
by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top