I have been thinking about this for a while.
While we can talk about minority coalitions and recapturing the White working class, I don't know if anyone in the Democratic party realizes just how much the anti-gun stance has cost them.
I wonder what would happen if the Democrats, as a whole, COMPLETELY dropped ANY additional gun control from their platform. No more trying to close the non-existent gun show loophole. No more banning people on the "no fly" list from buying firearms. No more talk of assault weapons bans or magazine capacity limits. They tell Moms Demand Action to go look for some action someplace else. I am talking a complete and total surrender/reversal on guns.
The reason why I bring this up is that I have a TON of friends on both the left and the right. In terms of my right leaning friends, my personal experience is that 70% of them would be at least open to the Democrats if it were not for the gun control issue. It is as if once they determined that one side was for guns and one side was against, they joined the side that was pro-2a THEN adjusted their other beliefs accordingly. Many didn't even do that. I can't count how many pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-gay marriage, pro-2a people I know. Many are libertarians, but a few are also pro-universal healthcare, pro-union, anti-trade types. However the 2A is a deal breaker for them. Sure, there are people for whom abortion is a deal breaker, but they are MUCH smaller in number.
The thing that frustrates me is that if the Dems just drop that issue, even the anti-gunners are going to have to stay with them. Where else are they going to go? The Dems would lose virtually NOTHING by dropping the gun issue and supporting the 2A, but the leadership and certain special interests just wants to shove it down everyone else's throat.
What does it get them? Congratulations, a few states and cities like California, New York, and Chicago have draconian bans on "assault weapons". A handful of states still have concealed carry bans. The trade off? A Republican President, a Republican Senate, a Republican House of Representatives, a soon to be Republican Supreme Court, 30 Republican Governors, and 69 or the 99 State houses are Republican controlled. They have basically ceded being even competitive in the majority of the country for crazy laws in a few states. Was it really worth it?
While we can talk about minority coalitions and recapturing the White working class, I don't know if anyone in the Democratic party realizes just how much the anti-gun stance has cost them.
I wonder what would happen if the Democrats, as a whole, COMPLETELY dropped ANY additional gun control from their platform. No more trying to close the non-existent gun show loophole. No more banning people on the "no fly" list from buying firearms. No more talk of assault weapons bans or magazine capacity limits. They tell Moms Demand Action to go look for some action someplace else. I am talking a complete and total surrender/reversal on guns.
The reason why I bring this up is that I have a TON of friends on both the left and the right. In terms of my right leaning friends, my personal experience is that 70% of them would be at least open to the Democrats if it were not for the gun control issue. It is as if once they determined that one side was for guns and one side was against, they joined the side that was pro-2a THEN adjusted their other beliefs accordingly. Many didn't even do that. I can't count how many pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-gay marriage, pro-2a people I know. Many are libertarians, but a few are also pro-universal healthcare, pro-union, anti-trade types. However the 2A is a deal breaker for them. Sure, there are people for whom abortion is a deal breaker, but they are MUCH smaller in number.
The thing that frustrates me is that if the Dems just drop that issue, even the anti-gunners are going to have to stay with them. Where else are they going to go? The Dems would lose virtually NOTHING by dropping the gun issue and supporting the 2A, but the leadership and certain special interests just wants to shove it down everyone else's throat.
What does it get them? Congratulations, a few states and cities like California, New York, and Chicago have draconian bans on "assault weapons". A handful of states still have concealed carry bans. The trade off? A Republican President, a Republican Senate, a Republican House of Representatives, a soon to be Republican Supreme Court, 30 Republican Governors, and 69 or the 99 State houses are Republican controlled. They have basically ceded being even competitive in the majority of the country for crazy laws in a few states. Was it really worth it?
