In politics, myths are hard to slay. In this case, that is true not only because conflict makes for good copy but also because the appearance of conflict is real, since the NRA has not (yet) supported the common-sense policies backed by gun owners and non-gun owners alike. And many legislators, fearful of the gun lobby’s wrath, have toed the line.
But the new poll should be a wake-up call for legislators and the NRA leadership alike.
For legislators, the poll shows that gun owners will overwhelmingly back them on common-sense gun policies to prevent and punish illegality as long as the Second Amendment is protected. And for the NRA leadership, it shows that efforts to defeat these policies will be highly unpopular – even among the organization’s own members.
After a bruising partisan battle on health care, it might seem strange to suggest that gun laws – long-considered a third-rail political issue – could bring all sides to the negotiation table. But centrists in both parties have an opportunity to join the American people in recognizing the culture war over guns is more myth than reality.
This is the same crap I heard back in the early 90s when the assault weapons ban was on the table. The politicians bought it, and were sent packing in the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress. To the extent that this poll doesn’t help the cause, it’s because politicians have learned better. This is one issue you don’t want to count on polling.
What would happen if the democrats attached some pro gun amendment to the healthcare bill, something like national conceal carry reciprocity? Is that something that ‘could bring all sides to the negotiation table’?