Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- For every pro-gun activist, the goal must be to remove Gun Control from the Agenda of all major American Political Parties.
There are massive cries within the gun community to ostracize gun owners who have voted for Biden… or, more accurately, gun owners who haven’t overtly supported President Trump in the last election. The most offensive posts suggest that those gun owners are traitors to the cause of gun rights. I was told by someone last week that they can’t be expected to tolerate gun owners who “have signed on to force [him] to abdicate [his] rights or face prison.” I don’t think that is the train of thought of a gun owner who votes for a Democratic Candidate. If you are reading this article at AmmoLand News or if you follow my social media, I have to assume that you are “Pro-Gun”.
If you’re not, we welcome you and invite you to still read the article, but I’m really not writing to you today… but you may find it interesting, none the less.
We’re Pro Gun. Our primary voting issue maybe gun rights. We might advocate for gun rights and lobby for changes in laws that increase gun freedom. We might think that all gun control is unconstitutional and every gun restriction is an infringement. We might spend countless hours every year voluntarily working for the cause of gun rights. You might even consider yourself a one-issue-voter (I’m not). We aren’t like every gun owner. That’s okay. Every gun owner isn’t going to vote for the same person, that’s okay too.
Who did I vote for? It’s been a handful of Presidential election cycles since I’ve revealed who I actually voted for. It’s actually fun for me to let people imagine all the reasons I don’t simply state who got my vote. I’ve heard that I secretly vote for one person, but act like I don’t for social media engagement. I’ve heard that I voted for one person this week because of my girlfriend’s political preferences (I don’t even have a girlfriend…). I’ve heard that I’m a mole working against gun rights based on my refusal to say who I voted for… which would actually make me a really bad “mole”, I think?
The real reason: I don’t think it’s cool to suggest that people should be obligated to reveal their votes. If nothing else, my silence is a protest against internet bullying. So, go ahead and speculate… but, I’d rather you focus on the real point of this article.
Gun Rights are a Human Rights Issue. Gun Rights are Civil Rights in our country.
There is no party that owns the issue. There are over 100 Million Gun Owners in the United States. Around 70 Million Americans voted for each of the leading two Presidential Candidates. Some Gun Owners voted for Biden. Some Gun Owners Didn’t Vote at all!? Some non-gun-owners voted to re-elect President Trump. Some people that think “Universal Background Checks” (ie- the end of private gun transfers) are okay probably voted for Trump. Some people that think ownership of AR15 rifles is okay probably voted for Biden. Some people with a wide variety of opinions on guns voted Libertarian or possibly wrote in everyone from Bernie Sanders to Wayne LaPierre. It is foolish to think that everyone who is a gun owner is a Republican or will vote for Republicans… and, many people will remind us that some Republicans aren’t “real republicans” (yes, they are the same people who feel they can identify “real gun owners” based on their votes).
If we are interested in the future of Gun Rights in our country, we need to work with ALL 100 Million+ American Gun Owners to remove Gun Control from the agenda of every major party.
If we demonize, berate and ostracize fellow gun owners for not being ideologically pure, we lose the fight. When a new gun owner who voted from Biden sits down with another gun owner that shares their political views and they talk about guns, who is going to explain the history of gun control and incrementalism?
Who is going to explain the history of gun control in the courts?
Who is going to explain the tie between gun control and racism in our country’s history?
Who is going to explain the work that Second Amendment Foundation and Firearms Policy Coalition are doing in the courts? Who is going to talk to them about the movement to “Educate not Legislate” spearheaded by The DC Project TEAL Team? Without those influences, I can see how they come to the conclusions like “this universal background check thing is common sense” or ” no one needs a 30 round mag”. If there isn’t anyone in the room to rationally and calmly have a conversation with them to educate them, why wouldn’t they? Remember, they probably aren’t starting from a conservative or libertarian viewpoint like you and I are.
There will always be anti-gun people.
There will always be an anti-gun movement in the US. There is no reason to think that a party with a significant percentage of gun owners will want to maintain an aggressive gun control agenda… but, they would have to be getting pressure from those gun owners who support their other positions. I have long criticized tying gun rights to conservative issues. There is no need to tie gun rights to immigration, abortion, school choice, healthcare, tax rates, “law & order”, environmentalism or anything else… unless you don’t think gun rights aren’t important enough on their own? Well, I do.
Gun rights aren’t part of one team’s identity politics, they are a human rights issue that transcends party. Honestly, they are a freedom issue… and it can be argued that both parties fight for different freedoms. Gun Rights should be a freedom that we all agree on. The stats say that gun ownership is much larger than “conservatives” or “Republican voters”… so, what’s stopping gun owners on the left from speaking up?
I can’t answer that definitively, because I’m not a lefty gun owner. I’m not a righty gun owner either, of course. I’m a socially liberal-fiscal-conservative-moderate-independent-gun-rights-advocate & freedom-lover who wants small-government. I work with everyone on the cause of gun rights and readily point out the flaws of the right & the left. What I can do is hypothesize. I believe that if the vocal members of the gun community, the grassroots leaders, did more to not push liberal gun owners away, we’d gain vocal allies. I believe that if the leadership of the gun rights movements stopped fear-mongering about “the left” or “liberals” and disciplined themselves to identify the actual enemy (Anti-gunners, gun grabbers, gun control activists, etc.) in their communications, we’d gain vocal allies. I believe that if we not only accepted but actively recruited gun owners who vote primarily on other issues to get more involved, we’d gain vocal allies. The NSSF has shown leadership in this area… unfortunately, most national gun rights organizations have preached to the choir of traditional supporters.
Over the last 30 years, I’ve witnessed and participated in the dramatic growth of Gun Rights Advocacy in our country. Millions of gun owners have been brought into the fold. I’m not just talking about new gun owners. There were millions of complacent gun owners who have become active since the dark days of the Assault Weapons Ban. It was this army of vocal advocates that changed the landscape of Concealed Carry Rights in our country and brought in the era of “Constitutional Carry”. It was this army of vocal advocates who ensured that the AWB would sunset. It was this army of vocal advocates who have prevented any further federal gun control laws from being enacted since those days. Unfortunately, that army of vocal advocates doesn’t hold much sway with the Democratic Party. That army might even be perceived as the enemy of many that are aligned with now & future the leadership of the Democratic Party. That army needs vocal allies. There is no doubt that the largest block of gun owners, and that army, in our country identify as and vote conservative… but, that block is no longer enough. That army needs to unravel itself from conservative politics when advocating for Gun Rights.
That army needs to be recruiting as many vocal allies as it can from the ranks of Millions of non-conservative American Gun Owners.
Our goal is supposed to be the end of the fight over gun rights.
While that end may never truly arrive, we should be implementing a good faith strategy to get there. That strategy must include uniting gun owners to protect the rights protected by our Second Amendment. Think about the two Presidential Debates that occurred over the last couple of months. Gun Rights issues were barely brought up. You and I are in the minority in that we care about this issue more than any other issue of American Politics. We believe that the Second Amendment is the Amendment that ensures all of the others and protects all of our freedoms & ideals. It’s okay if not all gun owners feel that way… as long as we are all working together to protect those rights. Naturally, there are some who don’t want to see gun owners working together. There are some who enjoy the fight. There are some who benefit from the fight. We need to be the ones who are focused on the goal of ending the fight. To that end, we should work to remove gun control from the agenda of all major political parties in the United States. Given the number of gun owners in our country, this is not an unreasonable goal.
-RJP
About Rob Pincus
Rob Pincus has been educating people about defensive shooting and related personal defense topics for over two decades. He is the Executive Director of the Personal Defense Network and the owner of I.C.E. Training Company. He has authored several books, produced over 100 training DVDs, appeared on several TV & Radio shows, and trained military, law enforcement, and armed individuals around the world. His advice focuses on efficiency and practicality based on his own experiences and continuing research of both real-world events and cutting edge training practices. www.icetraining.us
I have to disagree with this article as I didn’t see any democratic candidate come out as a pro gun person who said anything in defense of firearm ownership, the old democrat party went into the toilet years ago and most of todays democrats are liberals who want change the constitution in such ways that are country couldn’t endure.
While I’m on the soapbox why do independents in congress always go with the democrats, why was Bernie Sanders allowed to run as a democrat candidate when he is listed as an independent in congress?
The RIGHT to keep and bear arms comes from the LORD. Luke 22:36 , further it’s a natural right to defend your family, yourself and your property. Past all of this is our constitution, the declaration of indepence, the bill of rights and the 2nd Amendment which guarantees, rather mandates that we keep and bear arms. Thus, anyone who would deny or delay one’s RIGHT to keep and bear arms is evil according to the LORD, is a fool according to the natural laws of mankind and is treasonous according to the constitution.
Arm up and carry on
And the Natural Law theory is ably defended from both theological and scientific grounds. The Law of Nature and Nature’s God……………….
Self defense is abundant every single minute of every single day. Appropriate means is determined by the defender. Well stated.
Gun owners that vote for Biden. Like Jews for Hitler or Catholics for Islam, or Gays for Islam, eh? Listen, these scumbags all think that they will be exempt from whatever the tyrants and despots they vote for are going to do when they are in power. Or they are just plain stupid.
@cav – There are different kinds of stupid. Many are too far gone to be helped. Others just haven’t considered possible ramifications and can be educated. In elections as close as this was, it doesn’t take many of the second group to change results. If those people are active in primaries and even before that – we could see changes in candidates put forth by the party. None of this would be quick or easy.
Funny thing about not being a “one-issue voter”. I get that idea very well, but being swayed by a politician who wants to talk freedom, justice, and prosperity while taking away your 2A rights is like taking pastry baking classes from a teacher who wants to ban flour and oil. Good luck with that.
@Bill – I’m not a one issue voter, but when an entire party platform appears to revolve around a single issue which is very important to me – I might ask well be. At the same time I recognize that there are people voting for that party who are blithely ignorant about this issue, or at least the policies being espoused by their favorite candidates. Bringing awareness to those voters could serve us well. Even if poor candidates are put into office, they can possibly be nudged away from their worst inclinations. Every politician’s biggest concerns are raising money and… Read more »
Removing the Gun Control Agenda from EVERY Major American Political Party.
Instead of the aforementioned, how about removing every politician who violates their oath of office by permanently removing them from public office?
@Mike – That is certainly an end goal. How would you like to go about removing them? You could personally find each of them, tar and feather them and drop them in the ocean. Or possibly you could talk to members of the opposing party and convince them to support pro-gun politicians. If enough democrat voters support civil rights, their politicians will too.
You are right about asking how, since no one has ever been removed from office for violating their oath in my lifetime. I’ve always wondered why anyone goes through all that nonsense. Term limits would keep these vermin from too much corruption and business as usual but that’s another pipedream.
A vote for guns is NOT a single issue vote. Look at the mess Europe is in. Not only have they lost individual freedom, they’ve lost their dang sovereignty. I’m sorry, but without going in to a lengthy diatribe, if you voted Biden you voted against freedom, sovereignty, rule of law, personal protection, religious freedom, freedom of speech, and many more. You vote for Biden then you voted for mass invasion under the guise of immigration, you voted for censorship of speech, court stacking, riots and domestic terrorism, you voted to put us down the path to socialism (which I… Read more »
I have never read such pernicious twaddle. Pincus needs to study and really understand why Churchill won and Chamberlain lost.
Pretty long winded for a government shill!
The major political parties serve little purpose other than maintaining a monopoly on political power in America. That is one reason why I am a life long libertarian. The second reason is that the libertarian movement actually does educate its members. A lot of folks try to denigrate us as one brand or another but actually there is a very healthy stream of diverse thought within the party and that stimulates debate which stimulates people to read and learn. There is nothing worse than going to a coffee klatch with a bunch of well read people and getting deconstructed. The… Read more »
I have often said:
”Libertarians” are even more dangerous and destructive than Democrats and RINOs. Nearly all are de facto anarcho-global immigration socialists, too dogmatic to acknowledge 55 years of overwhelming evidence that mass immigration destroys liberty, sovereignty, freedom, security, culture, quality of life, and real per capita median income, while jacking up the cost of land and “housing”. There’s a reason all the big cities are run by gun grabbing dems. High density, jamming people in like sardines, in each other’s hair…they WILL control each other and one of the first things to go is gun rights. SEE CALIFORNIA aka CALIZUELA. LoLibertarians claim… Read more »
Yea, that would be the Libertarian Party, which since around 2014 has tried to be Democrat-lite. Notice how their percentage of the vote this time was less than a percent. It is because the rank and file have been rejecting their creep towards leftism. Do bear in mind, many self labeling libertarians want nothing to do with the LP and wont give them one single cent. Sit down and chat with a libertarian in person. Alot of them are very pro-gun constitutionalists, quite often literalists. Ever hear of a “Tenther”? It is a term that originated as a leftist jab.… Read more »
I was a Libertarian organizer and campaign manager in the early 1980s. I’m quite familiar with the various “Libertarian” flavors.
There are of course exceptions, but Nearly all “liberarians” claim to be pro gun, pro constitution and pro property, yet their immigration policy destroys all of those issues. Including all the major libertarian organizations like Cato, “Reason”, and the “Independent” Institute.
Deluge immigration inevitably causes massive wealth redistribution and destruction, direct and indirect, immediate and delayed.
Hmm, if you “know” about the different flavors you wouldnt have dropped that first post calling them ALL anarcho-socialists. If you knew about the different flavors, you would know about the constitutionalist libertarians. They tend to detest where the LP has gone. Those ‘libs’ are often are generally more for natural rights and proper constitutional government than any Republican to ever walk the planet. So what you dealt with them 30-40 years ago, things change sometimes. So when you look at the history of the LP’s policies on borders and immigration since then it, has shifted back and forth. It… Read more »
nice strawman argument, genius. Never said they were ALL anarcho socialists.
I’ve kept in touch.
You’re evading issues and deflecting like a Democrat.
Oh, so sorry, I forgot ‘nearly’, not that it changes the nature of your statement. Words and meanings, ya know. Even adding the modifier of nearly denotes you were still referring to the vast majority, just short of the entirety of the whole. You cast that wide net, not I. Not deflecting at all simply pointing out that I have seen their platform shifting with the political winds. Just like the others. Evading no, I simply had not the time at that point, to deal with what you perceive to be endemic to libertarians because the LP has taken that… Read more »
You have no clue what you’re yapping about. Big “libertarian” names like John Lott, Grover Norquist, David Theroux, The “Independent” Institute, David Boaz, everyone at Cato, and everyone at “Reason”, all claim to be constitutionalists, yet they all support loony LoLibertarian deluge immigration policy that is in the process of killing gun rights and theUSA itself.
Impossible to say this enough – too many people just vote for the R and don’t do research beforehand and don’t follow-up afterwards.
Each state has an on-line site that allows voters to see exactly how their legislators vote on each bill. Many Republican legislators are terrified people will actually go see how they vote and talk to their neighbors/friends/family about it. If more people did this and emailed their legislators and encouraged others to do so, we would have less gun control in many states.
Agreed. State Representatives and State Senators are can be encouraged to do the right thing more easily than U.S. legislators. The state legislators fear an informed electorate that communicates and organizes.
This article is ridiculous. Anyone and everyone who is aware and active in the cause of defending the Second Amendment KNOWS what demon-crats stand for. Period. If you vote for even just ONE demon-crats, YOU are a domestic terrorist. JUST like them.
True, but “Republican” behind a politician’s name is certainly no guarantee of them advocating for rights protected by the 2nd Amendment. The community has been far too obliging to Republican politicians. They need to understand “no more gun control.” No red flag laws, no “Fix NICS,” no Universal Background Checks, no banning of magazines, no banning of semi-automatic rifles, etc.
Honestly people…the Founding Fathers were staunch believers in having NO standing army, but to have on hand a citizen militia made up of common folks willing to stand in the face of an invading army or to put down all enemies foreign AND DOMESTIC. They modeled their idea after the SWISS model which is still in force and effect in Switzerland to this day with some minor differences. Swiss militia have access to some pretty nice arms where we are treated as second class with “semi” auto, no shotguns shorter then 18″, no rifles shorter then 16″: and no sound… Read more »
This kind of apologetic discussion got us into the mess we are in. The NRA for which I still support 100% in theory: has led to this apologetic perspective and it’s allowed the Democrats to steal away gun rights for millions of US citizens across the nation over decades. The NRA’s message in the latest Presidential Tweets calling for a hard-line against these tyrants is the only NRA I will support going forward. Any talk of meeting these ignorant and undereducated in the middle is just a fantasy in optimistic thinking. These Democrats have weaponized the media and suppressed the… Read more »
@Core – Sounds as though you completely misunderstood Rob’s point. Middle ground should be fine because democrats should oppose gun control as much as republicans. Fact is they don’t – but real question is why not? Rob’s article suggests reasonable approaches to defanging Bloomberg and other extremists. Our problem is one of tribalism. Far too many people consider themselves either democrat or republican and shape their entire world around that parties line. This approach ignores all nuance and wipes away individuality. In practice, two party rule is not much different from single party rule – if we each must pick… Read more »
The time for debate is over. We know what has to be done.
WTF???? Oh, it’s Pincus again. I didn’t know he was still around after the last dozen times he put his foot in his mouth. Look, Pincus, if you can get the democrap party to remove gun control from their platform, support gun rights, support the rule of law and the defense of private property and to stop being the communist party then sure. Under those increasingly unlikely circumstances it would be fine to vote for them. Until that happens anyone and everyone who votes democrap is either a dupe or a traitor. We just had 8 months, in case you… Read more »
“I’m a socially liberal-fiscal-conservative-moderate-independent-gun-rights-advocate & freedom-lover who wants small-government.” So you are everything to everyone, which is impossible, so maybe you are anything to someone, or something for no one. Kinda wishy-washy, isn’t it? Seriously, you voted for Biden, didn’t you? You sound like you are couching an apology in your nebulous everyone-should-feel-good-about-gun-rights BS. The Biden webpage on gun control was out there for everyone to see. Alarming as it was, it was a mere wisp compared to the socialist extreme of gun banning and universal confiscation wishes voiced by many of those other members supporting the Biden bunch. Wishing… Read more »
At no time in human history has there been more conflict than today. The scripture bears this out and as one looks into the last book of the Bible, it describes what is going on. The enemy of mankind is doing his best to disarm mankind and has chosen those he uses, well. They are of no particular political party but are easily owned with cash in the right places, namely, their bank accounts. “Money is the root of all evil,” says a lot about what we have seen in this election time. Two billion spent, that is known, on… Read more »
This article sounds like, “Feel Good, Gun Legislature.” It reminds me of all the children that were killed by ” GUN FREE ZONE” Signs.
It sounds good, and it looks good on paper to the uneducated and indoctrinated. It’s not worth the time or good brain cells to think we can reason with the mob or rather trust them, or people who think they can be reasoned with. That is why our Constitution is at stake.
Me, in this call to arms. I’m watching the TRUCKERS, figure the rest out for your self.
Pincus is a closet KGB officer. His pedigree is ideal for being one. Gun owners for Biden are communists. Communists need guns to control and kill those who refuse to accept communist totalitarianism. Never trust any leftist, socalist, democrat, or communist. Especially family members. Stalin used his useful idiots with great effect. Biden will also. America is at the 90% mark in the conversion of America to a communist state. Once we are disarmed, the internment camps will open to reeducate those few who are deemed trainable. The rest will leave in boxcars to feed the worms. Are there enough… Read more »
Is Rob Pincus a closet Democrat? If he’s not getting paid by Bloomberg or Soros for the sterile bee queen nonsense, he’s selling himself short.
This is the most important article I have read on this subject in a long time. As long as everyone who disagrees is the enemy, there is no opportunity for resolution. We must bring into the fold, people who disagree on other issues. The narrow mindedness of the Pro-Gun community is every bit as much out enemy as the single mindedness of the anti-gun. People who disagree, seldom actually have vastly different values. There are of course those who are truly anti-gun. But most are not. Most are just scared and they have been taught for decades that the problem… Read more »
Oh what a load of Rodney King bull. This kind of naive sissy M.O. is what put us in this sinking boat.
The Pro-Gun community is not “narrow minded” enough. We vote for Republicans who constantly turn around and pass more anti-gun legislation. When the next voting cycle comes around we do not mobilize and vote them out of office. We give money to the NRA even though the NRA was behind Trump’s advocacy of the worst anti-gun legislation (Red Flag laws) and the NRA was behind Trump’s directive to the BATFE to ban bump stocks – a very bad precedent. The community is far too forgiving. As far as non-politicians go, most of the people who vote for anti-gun politicians vote… Read more »