Bloomberg Magazine: Gun Control is Dead

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OPC

New member
Surprisingly balanced article: Why Gun Control is Dead

On the basis of declining crime rates and increasing private gun ownership, the article posits that the gun-control efforts to basically wage a culture war have resulted in a stale argument for attracting new supporters. Though I'm not sure I agree that we live in
a society that celebrates firearm ownership as an emblem of individualism and self-reliance.
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While that can be a catchy sentiment, I think it's a little more complex than that.

Also, check out the link to the graphic on NRA corporate donors on page 2. Not really informative regarding dates of contributions and who is and is not a 'firearm manufacturer', but it does give one an idea of which firearms companies put their revenue into helping to support the NRA. Unclear (unstated) if these donations are also in part to NRA-ILA.
 
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madmo44mag

New member
I will agree with "a society that celebrates firearm ownership as an emblem of individualism and self-reliance" but I also feel more people realize that the police can't protect them and there is far less trust in the government.
I know many I talked too have purchased firearms for the primary reason they feel our government is on the brink of socialism and feel they may need to be armed to protect themselves and there family.
Others fear the collapsed of the US Dollar and the fall of our economic system.
 
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NWPilgrim

New member
Surprisingly good article. Interesting that it notes that firearm background checks for purchases have more than doubled since 2005 from 9 million to over 19 million.

Funny that it links to an article titled: Why gun manufacturers fear the NRA. Really?! Any "fear" from politicians at least is from the impact of voters. The NRA is a reflection of gun owner sentiment, it does not drive us. And I would think gun manufacturers drive the NRA more than it drives them.
 
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ClydeFrog

Moderator
Gunfighter Nation....

I saw a episode of Bill Moyers PBS series last weekend.
He had the author of the non fiction book; Gunfighter Nation.
The author(name unknown but I may edit) had some coherent points about US history & the role of guns/gun ownership in our culture, popular media & politics but he also had a few views that I thought were flawed/off base.

I think one of the major problems many anti gun advocates & anti 2A supporters have is the large murder rates & homicides of the major US cities.
They blame guns or "gun violence" rather than the true source; violent aggressive behavior of career criminals/gang members who are engaged in drug activity, criminal networks, street crime, etc.
Many of these urban murders are what LE officials call "red on red".
Armed citizens & license holders(who pay for licenses/background checks, fingerprints, etc) are not involved in violent street crime.
This distortion & other biased viewpoints(mainly promulgated by the media) is what armed citizens/license holders/gun owners have to deal with.
 
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Tom Servo

Staff
For those who don't recognize the author's name, he wrote Glock: the Rise of America's Gun. It's a good read, and from someone who's not really in either camp as far as gun rights go.

He's a respected writer, and he's respected for the balance of his opinions. So, when he writes in a mainstream source that a rise in gun possession correlates to a drop in murder, and that we're better served by addressing the causes of violence, people listen.

Of course, when the first comment written in response is drivel like this, it really doesn't help us:

Bloomy the fascist allowing a pro second amendment article through? Unheard of!
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
I am always suspicious when a gun control media outlet proclaims that "Gun control is dead." I can't escape the feeling that they are deliberately planting seeds of disinformation in the hope of persuading the pro-RKBA advocates that they can relax and stop paying attention.

To do so would be disastrous.
 
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OPC

New member
I wouldn't put it past them to try, but as Tom mentioned, the author is respected in his field. I think a more likely agenda is as a wake-up call to the gun control folks to change tactics.
 
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Tom Servo

Staff
I can't escape the feeling that they are deliberately planting seeds of disinformation in the hope of persuading the pro-RKBA advocates that they can relax and stop paying attention.
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You're absolutely right. We're seeing a mood of feigned resignation from Dan Gross and a few others. They're sighing and saying, "well, it looks like we're going to take the long view and be patient."

Then we get complacent because nothing's happening right now.

Of course, by "long view," gun-control advocates mean "until the next exploitable tragedy."
 
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doofus47

New member
I think that there's another reason that people have gravitated toward gun purchases with their disposable income in recent years. The very threat to take guns, inspires citizens to purchase guns before they disappear.
No joke, I have a friend who grew up shooting and gave it up after he went to college and started moving from place to place for work. Now, 20+ years on and married with kids, his dad asked him if he wanted his .22s. My friend was unsure, but his pacifist wife told him "you'd better get them, before they're banned."

The media blitz and political frenzy has made even the casual observer realize that there might be a time limit on availability.
 
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shortwave

New member
The Russians have a word for it...
I believe the term is maskirovka
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You are correct 44AMP.

Just because some may claim, " Gun control is dead " , the art of 'maskirovka ' (or deception) and concealing what is really going on behind the scenes is an 'ole Indian' trick that's been played throughout history.

Many times, taking things for what they SEEM to be when things SEEM to be going our way and becoming complacent in goals is a sure way to one day look up and find ourselves in a 'checkmate' situation by our foe.

Do we really think that with the millions or billions of dollars that has already been spent by the anti-gun orgs. throughout this nation that the anti's have just laid down and given up? :rolleyes:

Only a fool would think this way.
 
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Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Surprisingly realistic article. But culture wars never die. Proponents of a strong cultural view cannot understand nor they try to understand another viewpoint. This is not unique to the gun debate.

Some folks are unable to understand the conceptualization of defending yourself or resisting tyranny.
 
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Sharpsdressed Man

Moderator
I think the "violent and aggressive" nature of our American society, and the willingness and ability to adapt to and employ arms has allowed the United States to bail out the rest of the world at least twice. I hope we never lose that basal nature that men, especially fighting men, possess. Intelligent and prepared, civilized men keep it in reserve, for when the need arises.
 
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CWKahrFan

New member
To me, a big factor that wasn't covered much in the article is how much money has been "poured down the drain" by rich anti-gun activists such as Bloomberg.

As their bank accounts go down by the multi-millions that they've spent on media blitzing and organizing while studies are showing that it's simply not working, they gotta be seriously thinking about getting into more rewarding hobbies.

As is the case with so many reality checks... "It's all about money."
 
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Hal

New member
To me, a big factor that wasn't covered much in the article is how much money has been "poured down the drain" by rich anti-gun activists such as Bloomberg.
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Money makes money & rest assured, for every penny Bloomberg spent he more than recovered half again the value in some other way.
Probably through a tax write off.

The problem super wealthy people have isn't one of "pouring money down a drain", it's finding enough drains to pour money into.

The Russians have a word for it...
I believe the term is maskirovka
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Here in America we call it "rope a dope".
 
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