As of right now, I own no guns.
Most of my friends own at least one (I live in Nevada, it happens)
I’ve had several conversations with my friends about this issue and the first response is always defensiveness and cliches (usually “from my cold dead hands” and “guns don’t kill people, people do”). But as the conversation continues, I find that they’re as dissatisfied by the current status quo as I am. They want background checks, and registries, and gun licenses, and exams for possession (not just for a CCW permit). Basically, everything they want is gun control, and can be found word for word on the website of Everytown. But they’ll swear up and down that they’re anti gun control. That, I think, is because they hear “gun control” and they immediately go to bans and confiscation. They’re not conservatives. They’ll say they’re liberal/independent but “conservative on gun control”. Because, again, when they think of “gun control” they think of bans and confiscation.
I don’t think left-leaning political organizations leave the type of gun control they want shrouded in mystery. My county Democratic party’s platform currently has nothing about gun control on it. This makes this issue essentially a form of shadowboxing where many gun owners align themselves against a phantom type of gun control that they assume is the “worst”, even when actual gun control measures supported by organizations like Everytown are popular when discussed on their own.
Now, many liberals who don’t like guns, especially semiautomatic
rifles, also want bans and confiscation. They might hesitate a bit to
say so depending on who they’re talking to but they’ll be open about it
when they’re among a fellow traveler.
I think if this is the case then they should state so on their party platform.
I however think “assault weapons” bans are a mistake, to the point where I’d argue pushing for them could cost the Democratic Party the 2018 elections. This isn’t because the status quo is in any way acceptable or because I want to see more dead high school kids. It’s because the status quo is so, so bad on its own that there’s several things we can do between nothing and outright prohibition that are effective, popular, and don’t have the same issues that prohibition would. I’m certainly open to having my mind changed on this but, as of right now, I don’t see gun prohibition going anywhere but the same place that alcohol prohibition did. It would lead to a black market for semiautomatic rifles that would fund criminal organizations. It would encourage people to 3D print their own, untraceable, semiautomatic guns. And it wouldn’t do much to stop gun violence, which is mostly committed by handguns, or mass shootings, which have happened as a result of handguns (like the Virginia Tech shooting). Not to mention that pushing for such a thing right now vindicates people on that side who thought that any other type of gun control is just window dressing for that, and will motivate them to vote in 2018 when, previously, white rural turnout has been predicted to be depressed due to a lack of Trump on the ballot compared to angry, enthusiastic, urban turnout. Even just out of sheer self-interest, I think it’s a bad idea for the left to do.
I also find the lack of dialogue on this issue really depressing. Not in some dumb David Brooks way where I think everyone who wants gun control should just roll over and let gun owners make gun control how they want because they’d be culturally insensitive otherwise, but because I think, at least in my area, there’s a lot of independent voters who would agree with the pro-gun control groups if they knew what they were advocating for (and what they were not advocating for–Everytown isn’t in support of an AWB) but buy into NRA propaganda and thus have no idea. Meanwhile I think the sort of dedicated partisans who tend to become Democratic organizers/canvassers would react to people like that in an insensitive manner (yes in my area too, nearly everyone who is involved in my local Democratic party is sharing anti-gun stuff on Facebook). I predict a lot of “why would anyone want to own one of those???” and doors being slammed in their faces in response. And, like, if you’re in the “why would anyone want to own one of those???” category, which I understand since I had that mindset before I moved to this state myself, maybe picture what it would be like if alcohol prohibition never happened and there were large groups of people who wanted alcohol prohibition now due to all the very real, and very tangible pain and violence caused by alcohol and how you’d feel as a social drinker to have that sort of response when someone found out about a hobby you do legally and responsibly. (Tbf I probably would care less about reaching out to gun owners if I didn’t live in a state where so many of them were frustratingly socially liberal on everything else. I can understand not wanting to talk to people who both own an AR-15 and think women should go back in the kitchen).
I also find it depressing because I could see someone reading what I wrote and responding with “You think guns are more important than kids!” when I haven’t even said I’m against gun control. If anyone wishes to argue with me about the merits of a law (in this case, an AWB) then argue about the merits of the law not the worthiness of the issue itself. An AWB being popular among survivors of the most recent terrorist attack has as much bearing on that as if 9/11 widows supported the Patriot Act. Not supporting one legal measure doesn’t mean I want nothing to be done at all and am “with the terrorists.”
One last thing. I have had it up to here with voyeuristic Europeans sharing grisly articles about American gun violence in a “gather around and gawk at the savages” way. You’re not helpful or needed. I know who you are because you stopped sharing once the walkouts started and the kids began doing something hopeful. Get a better hobby and leave us barbarians alone please and thank you.
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