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Antsi, the middle of the road and incrementalism are responsible for all of the anti gun legislation we have had in the last 40 years.
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Yes, the other side (anti's) are using an incremental strategy and it's working wonderfully well for them. It is an effective strategy. They have been whittling away at our rights for years. It is going to take some time to win them back.
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By your reasoning, do you consider the AWB a victory for our side because all they banned was assault weapons?
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No, quite the opposite. The AWB was a great tactical victory for the anti's. It has harmed the pro-RKBA agenda immensely.
However, if there is a "no compromise" wing of the anti-gun lobby, they probably do not see the AWB as a victory, because it didn't outright ban all guns all in one fell swoop. But the patient, tactical, intelligent anti's realize that the AWB was a win for them, and one to build on. They're already planning the next, incremental expansion of the AWB.
And if gun owners do not support Bush and the Republicans, that's what they're going to get: an expanded AWB. By staying home, holding out for a radical "no compromise" gun rights candidate/party, you are going to put Kerry and the Democrats in power and we will have an expanded AWB in place by this time next year.
Look, I have the same goals as the "no compromise" folks and you, Lone Gunman. The kind of laws you want are the same kind of laws I want.
The difference is not our goals, but our approach to them. You are an idealist: you want 100% of what you want and you want it right now. What you do not seem to realize is that that option isn't on the table. If it was on the table, I'd support it too.
I am a pragmatist. If a limited tactical victory is all we can get right now, I will take it because the only other option is a major defeat.