Progress on gun safety.

[flamin lib]

Although 2014 saw more laws loosening gun restrictions than tightening them the movement for Gun Safety saw major gains. In no previous year have so many gains been made by the gun safety movement. Everytown for Gun Safety now has 2,500,000 contributors, close to the 3,000,000 members of the NRA. Eleven states, even some red, have passed laws to reduce gun violence. The NRA lost on the appointment and confirmation of Vivek Murthy and new directions for real change have revealed themselves. As the NRA owns Washington DC the movement is going to the states. In the case of referendum I 594 in Washington State the NRA gave only nominal opposition which, I believe, means that they know that the general populace supports efforts to lessen gun violence and that they can't compete unless they own legislators.

This NY Times article is particularly illustrative: Fight on Guns Is Being Taken to State Ballots http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/03/us/gun-control-groups-blocked-in-washington-turn-attention-to-states.html?ref=politics&_r=0

Something I find even more encouraging are articles like this one: Are 2A activists defeating themselves while anti-gunners take control? http://www.examiner.com/article/are-2a-activists-defeating-themselves-while-anti-gunners-take-control When you have pro-gun nuttery activists like this making these points in The Seattle Gun Rights Examiner it means the campaign to reduce gun violence is making real progress.

One of the things we advocates for gun safety need to do is counter the charge that we are out to "take away all of the guns". It is a tiny minority in the movement that would like to see that happen and even they, in their heart of hearts, know that's impossible. I don't want to take away all guns. I do want to restrict modern military designs from sale to anyone with a checkbook. I do want to see universal background checks. I do want to see safe storage mandated. I do want to see mandatory training for first time buyers. I do want to see "may issue" be the standard for concealed sarry. I do want to see a needs based approach to concealed carry. I do want to see open carry prohibited. I do want to see a national registry of guns. But I don't want to take away all the guns.

The gun nuttery group, not all pro gun people but that tiny minority that seems to control the dialog, has done a masterful job of defining the conversation. For them it's a game of win/lose. For us it's an attempt to decrease the carnage. Any attempt to gain some control of the gun carnage in America is inevitably met with one of the following:

It's unconstitutional.

They want to take away our guns.

It's a slippery slope to total confiscation.

It's my right.

I must have guns to protect myself from the others who have guns.

All of these responses are either/or all-or-nothing stands.

I don't know how to wrest control of the conversation from them after decades of brainwashing done by the gun lobby but it's something that has to happen before we can have rational dialog.

In the short run we have to contribute to organizations dedicated to reducing gun violence, write/call/email our congress people voicing our support for reducing gun violence. We must write/call/email corporate citizens like Kroger voicing our opposition to run amok gun nuts in our midst.

It will be a long and winding road but one that we have made a prodigious start down.