While I had some problems with that Bill, I mostly hate memes. They are the online equivalent of stupid bumper stickers. McConnell could have handled this better.
It isn't the meme. It is the sentiment. It is the fact that McConnell and the rest are flaunting the fact that the minority of radicals in this country dictate much of policy today.
I have said this before too, but I think that you guys will end up regretting putting your gun rights in the hands of these assholes. You risk alienating moderate non-gun owners and even moderate gun owners, and the resulting legislation down the road will probably not be better than this. It may, in fact, be much worse.
It is possible, and I would have agreed with you 20 years ago, but the gun rights landscape has changed a great deal. While there is support for things like background checks and keeping guns away from criminals and crazy people, overall support for gun control is at the lowest it has been in 40 to 50 years.
Combine that with the increasingly popularity of handguns for personal defense and the boom in sales of AR type guns, I don't think most politicians from either party want to really be known as being in favor of tough gun laws.
As for regrets, I don't really trust the GOP in terms of gun rights. I think there are a handful of people that are consistent, but I think most of them will be pro 2nd amendment when it is convenient.
That being said, I agree that flaunting is not productive.
I know the polling has shifted, but shootings like Newtown are the kinds that can shift public opinion. And when the NRA is unwilling even to do basic reform, like cut down on trafficking, it bodes poorly for gun rights people in the long term.
Think of this in the purely political sense. I agree with you that we should have good legislation rather than something sloppy and unclear, but had the NRA led the case to pass some small reforms, they would then be in good shape with the next shooting. They could say, "hey, we are working on keeping guns out of the wrong hands."
As it is, the next shooting, fair or not, is going to come right down on Wayne LaPierre's head.
5 comments:
The US Senate did something I agree with! I'm surprised.
While I had some problems with that Bill, I mostly hate memes. They are the online equivalent of stupid bumper stickers. McConnell could have handled this better.
It isn't the meme. It is the sentiment. It is the fact that McConnell and the rest are flaunting the fact that the minority of radicals in this country dictate much of policy today.
I have said this before too, but I think that you guys will end up regretting putting your gun rights in the hands of these assholes. You risk alienating moderate non-gun owners and even moderate gun owners, and the resulting legislation down the road will probably not be better than this. It may, in fact, be much worse.
It is possible, and I would have agreed with you 20 years ago, but the gun rights landscape has changed a great deal. While there is support for things like background checks and keeping guns away from criminals and crazy people, overall support for gun control is at the lowest it has been in 40 to 50 years.
Combine that with the increasingly popularity of handguns for personal defense and the boom in sales of AR type guns, I don't think most politicians from either party want to really be known as being in favor of tough gun laws.
As for regrets, I don't really trust the GOP in terms of gun rights. I think there are a handful of people that are consistent, but I think most of them will be pro 2nd amendment when it is convenient.
That being said, I agree that flaunting is not productive.
I know the polling has shifted, but shootings like Newtown are the kinds that can shift public opinion. And when the NRA is unwilling even to do basic reform, like cut down on trafficking, it bodes poorly for gun rights people in the long term.
Think of this in the purely political sense. I agree with you that we should have good legislation rather than something sloppy and unclear, but had the NRA led the case to pass some small reforms, they would then be in good shape with the next shooting. They could say, "hey, we are working on keeping guns out of the wrong hands."
As it is, the next shooting, fair or not, is going to come right down on Wayne LaPierre's head.
Post a Comment