livingston
20×102mm Vulcan
The Politics of Guns Are Changing. Politicians Need To Catch Up.
Millions of new firearm owners who have lost faith in cops and government will be a tough audience for shopworn gun control schemes.
Amidst lots of the empty, emotive posturing you get at political conventions, last week's Democratic gathering featured triumphalist cheerleading for gun restrictions. Sensing ballot-box victory within their grasp, the party's officials pulled out the stops on threadbare proposals to dismiss self-defense rights and disarm civilians. It was as if the convention had beamed in from 2019, skipping over months of pandemic-driven uncertainty, growing skepticism toward the competency and decency of police, and social unrest that has driven millions of Americans to purchase firearms.
Oblivious to a changing world, political figures are pushing policies for which the moment has passed.
Far from the seats of political power, guns are very popular right now. FBI records of background checks, an indicator of gun sales from licensed dealers, hit an all-time high of 3.9 million in June, up from 2.3 million a year earlier and 1.9 million in June of 2018. The numbers remained high in July, at 3.6 million background checks.
But the world is changing. According to the NSSF, "40 percent of first-time gun buyers in the first four months of 2020 were female. The main purchase driver among the group was personal protection, followed by target shooting and hunting."
African-Americans, who are often unfairly targeted by law-enforcement and have vocally protested such treatment, are stocking on up on tools to defend themselves, too.
reason.com
Millions of new firearm owners who have lost faith in cops and government will be a tough audience for shopworn gun control schemes.
Amidst lots of the empty, emotive posturing you get at political conventions, last week's Democratic gathering featured triumphalist cheerleading for gun restrictions. Sensing ballot-box victory within their grasp, the party's officials pulled out the stops on threadbare proposals to dismiss self-defense rights and disarm civilians. It was as if the convention had beamed in from 2019, skipping over months of pandemic-driven uncertainty, growing skepticism toward the competency and decency of police, and social unrest that has driven millions of Americans to purchase firearms.
Oblivious to a changing world, political figures are pushing policies for which the moment has passed.
Far from the seats of political power, guns are very popular right now. FBI records of background checks, an indicator of gun sales from licensed dealers, hit an all-time high of 3.9 million in June, up from 2.3 million a year earlier and 1.9 million in June of 2018. The numbers remained high in July, at 3.6 million background checks.
But the world is changing. According to the NSSF, "40 percent of first-time gun buyers in the first four months of 2020 were female. The main purchase driver among the group was personal protection, followed by target shooting and hunting."
African-Americans, who are often unfairly targeted by law-enforcement and have vocally protested such treatment, are stocking on up on tools to defend themselves, too.
The Politics of Guns Are Changing. Politicians Need To Catch Up.
Amidst lots of the empty, emotive posturing you get at political conventions, last week's Democratic gathering featured triumphalist cheerleading for…
reason.com