More lefties and guns
PGP continues his fight against the anti-gun loons at Kos. Seems to be a lot lefties championing gun rights these days. I wonder if gun activism is consistent with which party is in or out of power?
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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May 11th, 2006 at 12:50 am
You know, I will admit to having a few friends I would consider college know-it-all hippies (South Park fans will get the reference), and they know my stance on guns. While not many of them really grok my position on the issue, mostly because I think they can’t emotionally face the subject of violence… I don’t know any of them that really think gun control is the big thing, or should be a part of the progressive agenda. Another thing I’ve noticed is that most of them aspire to move to Europe or Canada. Good fucking riddance, I say. They can take all our useless hippies, and we’ll be happy to take the enterprising ones who want government to stay out of their lives.
I think superficially it may seem like we’re losing the culture war, but I think a lot of the gun control movement depends on aging baby bommers. The younger progressives just don’t honestly give a shit about the subject, because they grew up in a safe society where guns and violence aren’t really an issue. Some of them even see the value of arms in resisting a tyrannical government (in their minds composed of Republicans). But they’ll gladly support candidates that support gun control if they are true believers on the rest of the left’s agenda.
So this isn’t a reason to get complacent. I think it just means hope is not lost. The gun control agenda will always be with us, and it’s not certain for me yet whether today’s college know-it-all hippies won’t develop into tomorrow’s VPC activists as they get older and start having children (perish the thought). I think there’s room for persuasion though, so these kinds of activities are important.
What I think we should focus on is freedom, and be willing to align ourselves with our otherwise political opponents on issues of free speech, free press, RTKBA, and make it known that while we disagree on many things, on the important things we’re united on. That doesn’t have to mean supporting gay marriage, but it probably will mean accepting groups like the Pink Pistols into the fold. Not all leftists will be open to appeals to freedom and liberty, because some of them desperately want to be relieved of the burden of freedom, and will do anything to achieve this, but most of them I think have been raised in the same society we have, and can be persuaded into supporting the same basic freedoms we all believe in. I think it’s here we can probably forget some common ground, which could further marginalize the totalitarian left.
May 11th, 2006 at 2:17 am
My sense is that its actually the more centrist left who are in favour of gun control. DiFi is Exhibit A of this. Most of the people that I know that could be classified as looney left are either against gun control or not terribly passionately pro-gun control.
May 11th, 2006 at 8:21 am
possibilities..
1) not many (sane) people could have watched what happened in New Orleans and not seen the benefit of a household firearm
2) murder rates are at multi-decade lows
3) Iraq war and terrorism make gun control issues seem kinda quaint…
May 11th, 2006 at 10:12 am
I wonder if gun activism is consistent with which party is in or out of power?
I don’t think so. I think we’re just seeing more and more people swing back to the “Gee, look at how much ‘gun control’ we’ve had in the last 40 years, and look what little it’s done”.
Some of the Democrats have realised “Gee, this is why we keep losing elections”, and are pragmatic enough to want to stop losing the elections. 🙂
Sadly, more of the D’s have realised it, and rather than changing their minds, are now out to try and hide what they believe, so they can get elected, and then save us from ourselves. Which is why I take with *vast* skeptisism any “Democrat” who claims to be “pro-gun”. Sure, there’s some out there, and I believe PGP is one, for an example, but the problem is, most of the rest of the people with him *aren’t*.
I browse the DU gun forum every week or so (the one PGP got booted from), and it’s very hilarious to watch the movers and shakers there loudly deny the Democrats are anti-gun. Sometimes it’s even a sentance or two before they mention they want to outlaw all guns. 🙂
But back to your thesis, I think it’s more the backlash against the “MSM”, more than anything. As more and more people, even those of very similar political bent, realise how craptacular anything in “MSM” (including entertainment) has been reported, they’re backing away from some of the reflexive Politically Correct thought.