Think we could reverse the anti gun trend?

[Miami_JBT]

Not sure that is effective.
I think we gunnys need to get a BIT woke.
It would be hard to do but a PR ...change... is what is needed. IMO.
As it is, I find the NRA almost useless.

SATURATION PROPAGANDA FOR GUNS is my idea.
A competition benefitting some disease or women's rights, as radical as that might be would reach more than one at a time..

1. Gun rights are stronger today more than ever. Over half the country has permitless concealed carry in one form or another. Less than half a century ago, the majority of the country was may/no issue for a permit to carry.

2. The Second Amendment has been affirmed and enumerated multiple times now in the courts that it is an inalienable right.

3. Record sales figures break the charts year after year. More Americans are buying and carrying today than ever in our history.

4. The largest and fastest growing segment of new shooters are women and minorities.

 

[dweis]

Reversing the anti-gun attitudes we observe every day is unlikely in my opinion. My opinion is driven by severs factors emanating from both sides of the gun issue. the factors are media influence (both liberal and conservative) , the irrational thinking of many anti-gun advocates, the public reaction to gun tragedies, and finally the self-defeating tactics of gun owner and the organizations that represent them.

The media fails tends to only portray the sensationalism of gun tragedies. It repeatedly presents the issue by exploiting victims grief without providing analysis of the causes of that grief. The viewer/reader only comes away with a feeling that guns are the ciause of the problem, which we all know to be untrue. The fact is that the country has widespread entail health issues that lead to irrational thinking by many if not most of those who commit gun-related crimes like mass shootings, murder/suicides, and attacks for vengeance and retribution. The media does not examine those factors in its reporting. While there an essays about it in medical and law journals there is little presentation of it in mainstream media because it does not attract an audience. No one wants to read t an our mental health isssues whether if be related to guns crime, drug use, criminal behavior etc. It's uncomfortable to learn a about and so it is avoided.

Anti-gun advocates take the irrational position that guns motivate crimes, and, if guns were not available or access to them was strictly limited, society wuld be better off, Most people observing this understand that guns do not kill people so we have a people problem not a gun problem. However, they do not see themselves as having a need for guns so they do not get personally involved. They are the silent majority that has no voice, which leads to my next point.


The organizations that represent us spend millions of dollars on legislative and legal advocacy, but little on developing grass-roots support. They use our dues and donations to protect and advance 2A rights, and that is good. But they have not focused their supporters efforts on getting directly into the act. I once led a professional photographers organization that worked on protecting Copyright rights. We developed a grass roots program to the degree that we could get thousands of members to contact any legislator, state or federal, to back up the organizations advocacy efforts. that system once burned a Senate Committee's to inoperability and overloaded the emails of many a politician. It was not done often to avoid being seen as only disruptive so we used it only at the most critical ties. Basically it was a we-the-people message to legislators.

We on forums like this and similar ones are very good at making our points of view well known in the forums. That is Preaching-to-the Choir! How many of us take our message to non-gun owners? I know some of us do. I know I do. Do you do it? If you want your position to be adopted by people not in the gun community you have to speak to those folks face to face. They do not read gun related forum content. In closing, i say this. If you want change you have to work for it.

 

[AlexanderA]

1. Gun rights are stronger today more than ever. Over half the country has permitless concealed carry in one form or another. Less than half a century ago, the majority of the country was may/no issue for a permit to carry.

It's a mixed bag. I always say, "you can't carry what you can't own." Therefore, the frontline on gun rights involves possession; especially, bans on whole classes of weapons. We see AWBs making headway in states.

2. The Second Amendment has been affirmed and enumerated multiple times now in the courts that it is an inalienable right.

Yes, but the SC hasn't followed up on Bruen etc. It's as if they have gotten cold feet, and want to slow-walk any further action on gun rights.

3. Record sales figures break the charts year after year. More Americans are buying and carrying today than ever in our history.

Two things are driving this sales surge: fear of crime, and fear of gun bans and confiscations. A lot of the new guns are being seen as "magic talismans" and/or are being socked away into drawers.

 

[Old Dog]

1. Gun rights are stronger today more than ever.

On the national level, with regard to federal laws, and looking at the handful of states that have actually strengthened the RKBA, it might appear so. But, dig deeper. The battles are on the state level now.

So, sorry, but cannot agree. You would be wrong on several levels.

When a state that always had a flourishing firearms culture, excellent gun laws, state preemption, original shall-issue state, within a span of nine short years:

- foists universal background checks with all firearms transactions necessitating going through an FFL (killing private sales),
- red flag (ERPO) laws,
- restricts concealed carry in many public places previously authorized,
- restricts magazine capacity for all firearms,
- bans all semi-auto centerfire rifles and shotguns as "assault weapons,"
- bans all firearms, including pistols, that are now considered "assault weapons,"
- mandates a training requirement simply to purchase any firearm
- and is now pushing a permit to purchase requirement with ridiculous requirements...

...gun rights are far more restricted today than ever.

But those of us in embattled states such as New York, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Washington who anxiously await the next court ruling or injunction to tell us what we can buy, carry, shoot - for now.

SCOTUS does not appear eager in the slightest to put all our fears of further draconian gun laws to rest. The appeals that actually get heard get reversed. SCOTUS doesn't grant review of a writ of certiorari.

Municipalities and states are ignoring Bruen with seeming impunity. Governors in states such as New Mexico, Washington, California, Minnesota and Illinois become even bolder and start pushing even more heinous gun control. New York's governor signs legislation that could end up killing the state's hunting culture over little objection.

Everyone in Arkansas or Tennessee sits back and with the hubris of those that can't see the deeper picture, say, "It can never happen here." For those in states, red as they may seem, with large urban populations, i.e., Texas, Georgia and a few others, look out. The model has been established, tested and proven to work. Your Democrat led cities with progressive city councils and county commissions, high concentration of young, minority and immigrant voters know how to take issues statewide.

 

[Miami_JBT]

Reversing the anti-gun attitudes we observe every day is unlikely in my opinion. My opinion is driven by severs factors emanating from both sides of the gun issue. the factors are media influence (both liberal and conservative) , the irrational thinking of many anti-gun advocates, the public reaction to gun tragedies, and finally the self-defeating tactics of gun owner and the organizations that represent them.

The media fails tends to only portray the sensationalism of gun tragedies. It repeatedly presents the issue by exploiting victims grief without providing analysis of the causes of that grief. The viewer/reader only comes away with a feeling that guns are the ciause of the problem, which we all know to be untrue. The fact is that the country has widespread entail health issues that lead to irrational thinking by many if not most of those who commit gun-related crimes like mass shootings, murder/suicides, and attacks for vengeance and retribution. The media does not examine those factors in its reporting. While there an essays about it in medical and law journals there is little presentation of it in mainstream media because it does not attract an audience. No one wants to read t an our mental health isssues whether if be related to guns crime, drug use, criminal behavior etc. It's uncomfortable to learn a about and so it is avoided.

Anti-gun advocates take the irrational position that guns motivate crimes, and, if guns were not available or access to them was strictly limited, society wuld be better off, Most people observing this understand that guns do not kill people so we have a people problem not a gun problem. However, they do not see themselves as having a need for guns so they do not get personally involved. They are the silent majority that has no voice, which leads to my next point.


The organizations that represent us spend millions of dollars on legislative and legal advocacy, but little on developing grass-roots support. They use our dues and donations to protect and advance 2A rights, and that is good. But they have not focused their supporters efforts on getting directly into the act. I once led a professional photographers organization that worked on protecting Copyright rights. We developed a grass roots program to the degree that we could get thousands of members to contact any legislator, state or federal, to back up the organizations advocacy efforts. that system once burned a Senate Committee's to inoperability and overloaded the emails of many a politician. It was not done often to avoid being seen as only disruptive so we used it only at the most critical ties. Basically it was a we-the-people message to legislators.

We on forums like this and similar ones are very good at making our points of view well known in the forums. That is Preaching-to-the Choir! How many of us take our message to non-gun owners? I know some of us do. I know I do. Do you do it? If you want your position to be adopted by people not in the gun community you have to speak to those folks face to face. They do not read gun related forum content. In closing, i say this. If you want change you have to work for it.

Who's this "we" that isn't building grassroots efforts? I've spent the last three years doing nothing but that in FL as GOA's state director. In fact, we've been doing that across the country.

Last year. I got over 20,000 emails sent to the FL Republican establishment in less than 48 hours when the RPOF refused to originally support permitless carry.

 

[usaral63]

And how 'bout an update on open, JBT !!

 

[dweis]

Who's this "we" that isn't building grassroots efforts? I've spent the last three years doing nothing but that in FL as GOA's state director. In fact, we've been doing that across the country.

Last year. I got over 20,000 emails sent to the FL Republican establishment in less than 48 hours when the RPOF refused to originally support permitless carry.

Please understand that I waas speaking collectively not individually. I admire what you have done. However, in all honesty, you are an exception to the common practice. How may do the thousands of folks on this forum have done 1/100 th of what you have done? Few at best. You personify what others should emulate to the extent they can. I am 4 months fro my 82nd birthday. I live in a retirement community. I out on programs for residents about 2A, personal security, and the reasons why guns are good not bad. I educate my community members. I used to do more but my age is limiting my activities beyond my neighborhood. Thank you for your good work. Keep it up. Your are setting an example. If you let other gun owners know what you are doing. We need more like you, and your leadership by example men's a lot.

 

[Miami_JBT]

And how 'bout an update on open, JBT !!

Working on it. Kathleen Passidomo, the Senate President has threatened to kill anyone's other bills if they introduce an OC bill this session. So, I'm hitting them where it works. In the court of public opinion.

 

[Archibald Stanton]

Cue in the heavy metal bass geeetar.

View attachment 1185976

I suppose it’s kind of like the trend in hunting…

The more we deviated from the “Fred Bear” image to “Bloodlust Outdoors,” the more dicey things became.

”Bloodlust.”

”Bloodsport.”

Jeeeeeezus.

Perhaps we’ve lost what was once a healthy gun culture and did this to ourselves.

Even in the sticks, what do you call them - 4H? 4R clubs? - can’t find sponsorship that would last more than a few seasons.

Perhaps my values are obsolete.

Perhaps responsible gun ownership and its associated culture in general is obsolete.

Who knows.

Great Fred Bear reference. I think you are right in that unfortunately most “hunters” that I know these days are actually farmers, just culling deer herds that they feed all year (or bear, ducks, etc). But federal and state regulations have forced a lot of that by forcing more and more hunters into smaller and smaller, super heavily regulated areas, with game wardens that… Well, that would be a giant tangent for another thread.

 

[tarosean]

Recent anti LGBTQ, anti Islamic, and anti Jewish movement have driven those populations much higher with respect to per capita gun ownership. They see the need to defend themselves and their families.

I just saw this the other day.