How strong is the gun vote?

[elza]

Did we (the gun owners) really cause the change in ’94?

I certainly like to think that we did. The Dems all said so including King William himself.

OTOH, could the Dems be using the pro-gun vote as a scapegoat? Blaming us instead of admitting that the public was unhappy with them and voted them out?

I really don’t know what kind of numbers were involved in the “great purge of ‘94” as far as the vote was concerned. Do we have those numbers in the gun community? Were we actually cohesive enough to pull it off? Consider the people we find on gun boards that “don’t care about (fill in the blank) guns” because they aren’t interested in them. Or, those that think that Obama is going to save the country. I can’t really see the Fudds getting excited about an AWB and have heard many of them say so.

I’m just curious about the thoughts of my fellow gunnies in this regard as many are far better versed in this than am I.

 

[Forwardassist]

No. There were many factors that lead voters to throw out the Democrats. Guns was a tiny part of it. Dems keep saying it was gun owners, is just a way to throw blame on someone but themselves. It was really their economical plans and poor leadership that caused them to lose Congress.

 

[nate45]

I think it was a combination of things, the AWB, Socialized Medicine (with Hillary and her secret meetings) and the excellent way that Gingrich and fellow Republicans nationalized the election, sold the Contract with America and the idea that Dems had been too long with the reins of power.

Too bad they didn't stick to their guns and conservative principals that got them elected.

 

[fjk1911]

I think we did Kerry in as well when the NRA started running the French poodle billboards. Kerry's "I needs to gets me a huntin' license" and "I stalk deer on all fours like in Nam" fired a lot of NRA and non-NRA gun folk up. That jerk thought the second amendment was about hunting just like Hussein.

 

[JWT]

The picture of Kerry 'hunting' certainly didn't help him. Comparable to Dukakis in the tank.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

don’t care about (fill in the blank) guns

I don't care about ARs, MP5s, or even AKs, but I will stand next to any black rifle lover and write my congresspeople defending their right to own one all day long. Full auto, explosive shells, 1.5 caliber projectiles, suppressors, 90 round drums, whatever floats your boat, as long as you aren't a felon. Really, if you did the time and were released you should get full rights back, or you should be kept in jail. The second amendment guarantees our right to revolt against an oppressive government. I know this b/c the Fathers of our country fought one revolution, and were in revolt while writing the constitution, so they obviously thought it was a necessary right.

I would like to see a CLEO sign off gun license. Or maybe like in Ohio where your sherriff or any adjoining counties sheriff can sign off on a ccw so one CLEO can not shut it down. W/ license you buy what you want unregistered. Never much liked the registration idea.

sold the Contract with America

If only they had kept that contract. My Congressman promised to go fdor only two terms to straighten things out. He is still there.

 

[Blondie]

The pro gun-rights vote is strong, and is the reason the lobbying groups that represent them are so effective.

Think about all the people that always vote lib and the others that always vote conservative. Then there are those that don't always vote republican or democrat; they tend to tip the balance one way or the other. Within this group some will lean left, others will lean right. But in that same group will be the segment that will always side with the policitian that is pro-gun no matter what.

In other words, anti-gunners will consider other issues (entitlement programs, gay-rights, abortion, taxes, security, etc.). Those votes could go either way. However pro-gun votes tend to treat the gun-rights issue as one of the top priorities, and will always vote as such. If you are anti-gun, and do not support the Constitution, then you are simply not qualified to be in public office.

Blonde

 

[PT111]

The gun vote was not going to be a real factor in this election until now. Both cantidates were ready to tip-toe around it but it is going to be put out front and center now. A lot of Americans that were keeping their opinions to themselves on such things as gun control, the death penalty and abortion have now found a reason to speak up. I think that the entire tone of the campaign has now taken a big turn and the average American sees a cantidate that they can relate to. It is going to be interesting that the silent majority is now getting a chance to be heard.

 

[hammer4nc]

Seems like the gun community is fractious minority, and only becomes a factor after its ox has been gored real bad. Absent that kind of insult, gun owners prefer to fight among themselves.

At present, its not unified enough, by a longshot, to derail the Obama express. And Obama will likely have the votes to enact all kinds of new gun bans. I expect he's making deals right now, with the Schumers, Feinsteins, and senior ATF wonks, in exchange for support. We'll be left to react and pick up the pieces after the new legislation hits.

Bet you didn't know, the guy who wrote the Contract with America back in 94, has come out in favor of Barack Obama!!!
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions...im_a_lifelong_conservative_activist_and_.html

 

[44 AMP]

They lie to us, but not to each other

could the Dems be using the pro-gun vote as a scapegoat? Blaming us instead of admitting that the public was unhappy with them and voted them out?

The big reason the country was unhappy with the Dems was the AWB! One of the few decisions the Clintons made that really backfired on them bigtime was to push the AWB the summer before a national elelction! And they recognised that fact afterwards. The "Contract with America" was the "scapegoat", what the press and their public admissions focused on as the reason for their defeat. In private, "just us Dems talking to us Dems", they admitted that they blew it with the AWB, big time!

We know this because it was covered in the gun press, but did the rest of the press even mention it? No!

Why do you think gun control (especially a new AWB) has been such a low key issue this election? Because both sides realize it is a loser issue in an election year. Dems know we hate their gun control agenda, and the Reps know that if they weren't the only game in town their record on gun control wouldn't get them very much from us either!

Both sides trust and depend on the short term memory of the American voting public. Where the Dems messed up was underestimating the fury and the sustainabilty of that rage generated by their AWB. The figured we would be over it by November, and had they just restricted a few military look alike rifles in the AWB, we might have. But they went much, much farther than that. They took too big a bite and wound up choking on it. A great many gun owners, who at that time didn't much care about those "black rifles", and only knew AKs as the full auto Combloc assault rifle got more than a little upset fionding out that they could no longer get a 17 rnd magazine for their Glock or a 25 rnd mag for their 10/22! Buying a $15 spring loaded metal/plastic box is one thing. Having to pay $50-100 dollars for the same thing just because the Dems said they were evil, and the fact that capitalists (like most of us) will make money off the laws of supply and demand, artifically manipulated though they may be, really upset some folks, and they voted!

I made some good money in those days, selling off some spare items, for many times what I paid for them. Although I do admit, when the Ram-Line 50rnd 10/22 mags got close to $150 bucks not many folks were interested. $450 ARs went for $900, and a $500 HK 91 got as high as $2300 (used, no paperwork). And that was over 10 years ago!

The gun vote is strong, but only when we are as one put it, "gored". The reason those politicians fear the NRA is that there are millions of us (in just that organization), and many of us vote together, some of the time. People from all walks of life, and all income brackets, gun owners are as diverse as it gets. Which is why we don't all vote together, all the time. If we did, we wouldn't be where we are now. We only come together when we feel threatened enough, which is natural, as gun owners tend to be independent kind sof folks. Unfortunately, that often works against us, allowing the mindless lockstep of the elitists to chisel away at our rights and freedoms all to much, all to often.

 

[MADISON]

The Gun Vote?

The NRA failed to endorce a candidate and we ended up with 8 years of Clinton.
Michael Moore and the NRA elected and re-elected George Bush.
Has the NRA endorced a canidate yet?

 

[azsixshooter]

I missed opening day of my Kaibab bowhunt because I had to work. Then last week I missed hunting the whole week because I had to get a $2000 root canal that ate up all my funds. I was planning to leave yesterday morning at 6am right after work. I was as excited as a kid on xmas eve and chomping at the bit to hit the road. Then I realized I forgot to send in my absentee ballot to cast my vote for the candidate for state rep that the NRA has been pushing for the last month or so.

I sat here all day yesterday and have been waiting all night. The polling place opens, literally, in 5 minutes. I am going to vote for every 2A supporter on the ballot and then I'm OUTTA HERE!!

 

[bclark1]

I agree with those who say it's important but not dispositive. Yes, I think "they" yap on and on about the "gun lobby" as a scapegoat - not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I do think the effort is integrated, or at the very least, biases show through in more than one area. That is to say, the media and those of certain political persuasions do not generally like guns. Therefore, when they come up even in the periphery, there will be a tendency to overstate the issues and a penchant for drama.

I think it should be important though, because I believe the issue is a good litmus for one's true feelings about more intangible aspects of American politics and culture, such as fundamental liberty, personal responsibility, interpretation of our framework and history, self-reliance, practical skills, etc.