Is the political fight on guns over? Or is it just beginning

[minnhawk]

Strong, balanced analysis in the Washington Post:

Is the political fight on guns over? Or is it just beginning?

An excerpt:

What can — and likely will — be different going forward is that groups lobbying for more gun control laws will be far better financed and better organized, posing a genuine opposition voice to the National Rifle Association’s long-held dominance on the issue of guns. (New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords have both formed pro-gun control groups.)

But, more money and better organization don’t necessarily translate to urgency and intensity, which is the most critical advantage that gun rights supporters currently enjoy over those who favor more strictures on guns. And, it’s not clear whether anything that happens in the country or that President Obama (or OFA) can generate passion on the gun control side of the argument that comes anywhere close to matching that which exists on the other side.

“To change Washington, you, the American people, are going to have to sustain some passion about this,” Obama said near the conclusion of his remarks. It felt more like hope than promise.

Comments?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the ... beginning/

[whiteox]

I've been asking this same question since Thursday.

I think the fight will just continue. It's been going on since the 60s. It's not likely to end anytime soon. Not even if we continue to get favorable Supreme Court rulings. I see it moving forward kind of like abortion has moved forward over the last decades. We'll have states with relatively few restrictions, and other states where you can't hardly even get a gun.

One thing it's done for me personally is to validate what the NRA has been saying about Obama and the democrats being the driving force behind gun control. I, and lots of other left-of-center folks, were of the opinion that the democrats had learned their lesson and were content to just let things lie after what happened in the aftermath of the 1994 AWB. That belief allowed me to disregard gun rights as an issue in 2012. I now see that is not the case and it will be one of my top issues for the rest of my life going forward.

It remains to be seen how that will affect the outcome of the next election. I don't see a lot of attractive Republican candidates out there. I can tell you i wont be voting for Franken. Period. Full stop. I think if we see the Senate swing more Republican after the midterms it will only strengthen the NRA and should hold off any further attacks for another decade or so.

I think gunnies would be well advised to take the bull by the horns, and start addressing some of these issues before they get addressed for us.

Guns getting into the wrong hands is something that WE all should be very concerned about because every time one of these ******** goes out and use a gun they stole or got through a straw purchase our rights are under threat.

Know a guy with a gun who doesn't have it secured in a safe? Put pressure on him to get one. Stress that what happens when that gun goes missing is that somebody else is likely to get hurt. These aren't altar boys swiping guns from people's houses, they're probably going to use the gun in furtherance of their exploits. So, do us all a solid and lock up your gun. With rights come responsibilities, etc. Same if you hear a guy say he doesn't check for ppt or ptc when selling a gun. Explain why that's a problem. It only takes one guy who bought an AR in a private sale with no check to shoot up a public place and bam we're right back here fighting for our rights.

[xd ED]

It's neither the beginning nor the end....not even the middle

[.45 Auto]

The battle largely lies in how things are portrayed in the media.

One saving grace in that regard is that the media continues to further it's own irrelevance as more and more people become aware of how facts are being distorted. It will be important that we replace them with more reliable sources of information.

Mike - in Sherburne County

[Kelor]

In my 45 years, I dont think there has ever been a time where guns are so demonized. I really do think registration is coming soon and confiscation will begin well before I leave this earth.

I think the fact that gun owners are somewhat like-minded prevents us from really understanding what the anti-gun revolution has done to the minds of the indifferent.

[minnhawk]

The operative words from this article are "urgency and intensity" of gun owners -- something we have over the gun control crowd, for now. While I credit the NRA, I also credit the thousands of individuals who contacted their senators over this. You can pretty well bet that Harry Reid is in big trouble in Nevada now concerning re-election as an example of pressure being put on these Senators.

[CUZICAN]

It's neither the beginning nor the end....not even the middle

i agree - this issue is unique - it's been going on for a long time - 1934 nfa, 1968 GCA - problem is that we think we can put it to bed and live free moving forward and that's not true. if you look at how this has come down through history, the regulations come in bits and pieces sometimes decades apart.

[goda0301]

get all you can before 2014, if team blue gets a hold of the house... ALL BETS OFF!! Obama has nothing to lose... and TOTAL CONTROL