Category: Anti-Gun Folks

… so violent?

Elections. Our opponents have truly become a parody of themselves. It would be sad if it was happening to anyone else who did not so richly deserve it.

Blake Zeff laments the fact that the gun control movement has no power, and offers this bit of advice to them:

For ideas on how to improve their effectiveness, gun control advocates could do worse than to study the playbook of the most effective liberal policy initiative in recent years: the movement to legalize same-sex marriage.

I would turn around and argue the movement to legalize same-sex marriage has been an utter disaster for gays who want to marry. They’ve been screwed by the radicalness of their own leadership, who chose to try to force this through the judicial system, and then faced a backlash by a public that was overwhelmingly opposed to it. How many states now need a constitutional amendment passed in order to legalize same-sex marriage? Anyone with strategic sense, looking at the generation gap on this issue, would have decided the prudent course of action would be a legislative strategy in blue states, followed by purple, and then red, as the generation gap played out over time. As it is, it will take serious effort to undo the damage done by a panicked public, caused by the choice to try to enact gay marriage through judicial fiat. So I don’t think that the gay marriage movement is a model. It is a case of a bridge too far, too soon, and if we had that much damage to undo with gun rights, I wouldn’t feel very good about things right now.

Now, the overall gay rights movement, on the other hand, is a fairly effective model, but as  Joe Huffman also notes that this guy has it backwards, but it looks like Reasoned Discourse is in effect over there.

In Chicago, some animals think they are more equal than others, and Thirdpower throws out the idea that Jesse Jackson may be no different. Apparently Jackson Jr. is known by gun activists in Illinois to hold an FOID card and frequent a suburban Chicago gun store. He’s also in for mental health treatment. Thirdpower goes over the implications of this.

Miguel points to some gun control advocate’s hysteria about the new Red Dawn movie. I watched the trailer, and I don’t think I’d be a fan. I put this in the same “messing with my childhood” boat that George Lucas is the happy captain of these days. It’s not a movie that needed remaking.

But Red Dawn was pretty unambiguously a movie targeted at teenagers. When the movie came out, in theaters in 1984, I was ten. I probably first saw it in my early teens, when it came out on HBO. This idea that Red Dawn “is seen as pretty much a documentary by the far right,” is only true in the minds of those who think they are better than us, and have this whole right-wing gun nut thing figured out. For the rest of us, it was just another one of the many memorable and influential movies that dotted the childhoods of Gen Xers. Did it have an effect on my young, pliable mind as to the importance of an armed populace? I’d say it did, yes, and maybe that’s the concern.

Just to return the favor of a little dime store psychoanalysis for the other side, I think some part of them might be worried about a remake influencing a new generation of kids with similar sentiment as to the benefits of an armed society. I don’t think they should worry. Movies are not as influential on the younger generations as they were on us. I’d suggest that video games that feature gun play will probably have far more influence on the minds of the young than any remake of Red Dawn will, and there have already been at least one generation raised with first person shoot-em-ups.

But I find it interesting they think enough of the movie to turn their noses up and frown on a remake. As our self-appointed betters, I’m not surprised at this behavior, but it really does make you wonder who are the real “squares” in this debate.

Lots of people are commenting on Elliot Spitzer’s plan for gun control, which makes about as much economic sense as being a john worried about the catching the clap, and trying to tell a high priced hooker that you won’t pay her for sex anymore unless she agrees to sleep with no other clients. Think she’s going to agree to that? Maybe that can put this into economic terms the former Governor can understand.

Congrats to All Nine Yards. Sean Caranna really seems to be upsetting the right people. The funny thing is the counterstrategy to their strategy of putting these folks on the public payroll should have been obvious to them. If I had been in their shoes, given that many of these positions are partially grant funded, I would have just kept them on the payroll of MAIG or their foundation. By putting them on the public payroll, their activities become public information under various state Freedom of Information laws. I’m wondering whether they just didn’t think about that, or didn’t think we’d realize a counterstrategy. A bigger question is whether MAIG is now adjusting its tactics to make use of private e-mails that can’t be reached by FOIA-like requests. I don’t know enough about various state laws on this matter to know whether this would amount to any kind of official misconduct or not, but it’s something to consider.

David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer says “Young people have no business carrying a gun,” and endorses more gun control. Berkowitz was also known as the .44 caliber killer. So there you have it. The CSGV and Brady agenda endorsed by a serial killer.

Frank Luntz, who specializes in “testing language and finding words that will help his clients sell their product or turn public opinion on an issue or a candidate,” speaks frankly about his association with Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Gun control advocates have used these polling tactics time and time again, trying to convince politicians there will be no price to pay for voting their agenda, and time and time again, we’ve proved them wrong. Why? Because most of these people don’t really get the consequences of many of these policies until they are enacted, and when they find out, they get angry, and if there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s channeling that anger towards politicians on election day.

Those of you on Twitter have probably seen some nasty invectives from this guy. Someone took a look at his PR Firm’s web site, and it looks like he’s on the anti-gun payroll. Clients include the Joyce Foundation and MAIG. Paid shills are not a substitute for real grass roots, and I’d say if they are paying that guy, they are flushing money down the toilet.