CCRKBA to Hillary: ‘Thanks for energizing gun owners’

[SecularMotion]

The earth did not stop turning this morning, even though the head of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms actually did thank Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton for energizing gun owners to vote in 2016 in a press release.

It was somewhat tongue-in-cheek for CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, who wrapped up the weekend Gun Rights Policy Conference yesterday by predicting, “Between now and November 2016, we expect Hillary Clinton to try to stigmatize and marginalize gun owners, but in fact she will energize those millions of law-abiding citizens whose votes she fears the most. That’s why we’re grateful for her campaign rhetoric.”

Today’s post-conference press release summed up the thoughts of many of the hundreds of Second Amendment activists who turned out for the 30th annual GRPC in Phoenix. Next year’s event will be held in Tampa, and by then, Gottlieb said, “if there is any apathy within the firearms community, it will have been transformed into activism.”

By contrast, current Republican front runner Donald Trump has already issued a position paper on gun rights, and despite the fact that it appears rock solid, there were some skeptics in the GRPC crowd. It’s a long time between now and November 2016, or even the Republican convention next summer, and much can change. One year in politics can be an eternity.

http://www.examiner.com/article/ccrkba-to-hillary-thanks-for-energizing-gun-owners

[friendly_iconoclast]

1. Gun controllers take to their keyboards, gun rights activists go to the ballot box

[Eleanors38]

2. ^^^

[DonP]

4. Ain't it the truth

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. Gun controllers take to their keyboards

to insist some other mother's son kick in doors and teach those gosh-darned gunnerz who's boss.

[ileus]

3. Sad our party is seen by many as an enemy to our rights....not very progressive.

[GGJohn]

5. Any comment SecMo?

Oh, wait.......................

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. Yet, whenever we warn against doing things that harm Democrats we're accused of being Republicans

[DonP]

8. I'm still trying to figure that one out

When we point out how any Dem in a purple state is going to have major problems if they take the whole "Anti Gun and Gun Owners" path, funded by Bloomberg.

Then when they lose, it's never because they misread their constituency or they took the wrong position on gun rights, it's somehow our fault because we support the 2nd amendment?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

9. I think there is an argument to be made that people who

cannot look at reality objectively and draw sound conclusions from obvious facts are the people to be making stringent law proposals.

"It shall be thus and we shall brook no deviation, regardless of the consequences!" doesn't instill a lot of confidence in their ability to govern.

[DonP]

10. I think it's either narcissim or arrogance, pick one

They either actually believe that, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, that everyone thinks exactly the way they do.

Or they just don't care what all those "ignorant people" believe, they know what's best for everyone.

Then, when what they desire/demanded doesn't come to pass, it must be somebody's fault so they go looking for a scapegoat to cover their lack of insight and basic awareness.

Or maybe it's a toxic blend of both attitudes?

[virginia mountainman]

11. Its a toxic blend..

And it has already bore fruit in most states, one look at the makeup in state legislators, and the US Congress shows it...

The sad truth is, except for a coastal cities, and a few small urban enclaves in the heartland, like Chicago, Democrat is now a very "dirty" word.

The race to "purify" the party on issues like gun control, has done nothing but make our party the weakest nationally than it has been for almost 100 years..

Arrogance and narcissism in action.

[SecularMotion]

12. Most Democrats and Liberals recognize that as RW fear-mongering

Real Democrats don't cower in the face of the NRA.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

13. If it's just empty fear-mongering explain the Colorado senate suffering its first-ever

recall elections that paved the way for the state legislature flipping red?

If you're so confident in your course why are such gun laws debated behind closed -- if at all -- and then voted on in the dead of night like the NY SAFE Act?

[SecularMotion]

14. What The Colorado Recall Doesn't Prove

Colorado State Sens. Angela Giron (D-Pueblo) and John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) were recalled yesterday in an election that the media is describing as having major implications for the future of the gun debate. Both senators were targeted for recall over their support for Colorado's new gun laws, which include expanded background checks and a 15-round limit for firearm magazines.

National groups on both sides of the political divide poured money into the recall elections over the past months. Supporters of stronger gun laws would surely have preferred that Giron and Morse had won.

But before the media returns to promoting the myth of National Rifle Association electoral dominance and suggests that the recall of the two Colorado state senators proves that all elected officials who push for stronger gun laws risk their jobs, here are a few things they should consider.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/09/11/what-the-colorado-recall-doesnt-prove/195834

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. Whistling past the graveyard. From your cut-and-paste propaganda by gun criminals --

The Gun Laws Supported By Giron And Morse Are Popular Statewide.

Irrelevant. Opinion polls do not set law and policy, elections do.

The Recall Turnout Was Extremely Low.

Irrelevant. Those who did turn out succeeded in unseating two Democratic state senators as well as laying the groundwork for further in-roads in the later 2014 general election.

Efforts To Recall Other Members Who Supported Stronger Gun Laws Failed.

That's akin to saying because we didn't destroy every Japanese aircraft carrier at the battle of Midway the US lost the war in the Pacific. The fact remains, the Democratic party took a hit in a historic recall election and the effect continues to reverberate.

[friendly_iconoclast]

16. And the Pubbies *still* hold the majority in the CO Senate. Thanks, Bloomie!

http://www.denverpost.com/election2014/ci_26898316/gop-win-colorado-senate-democrats-vow-hold-party

GOP win Colorado Senate, Democrats vow to hold party accountable

Republicans are officially in charge of the Colorado Senate, ending a decade-long drought where they painfully watched Democrats win the majority in five straight elections...

...Gun activists then attempted to mount a recall against Sen. Evie Hudak of Jefferson County but before they turned in signatures to force an election she resigned her seat to ensure the Senate stayed in Democrat hands. A vacancy committee elected Arvada City Councilwoman Rachel Zenzinger to Hudak's seat.

In Tuesday's election, Herpin lost to Democrat Michael Merrifield and Rivera lost to Democrat Leroy Garcia, which came as no surprise to either party considering the voter registration makeup in both districts.

But Zenzinger lost to Republican Laura Woods, backed by the strident gun group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. Hudak had won re-election in 2012 so her seat wasn't even supposed to be on the ballot in 2014.

[SecularMotion]

17. You choose to cower, I don't.

The NRA is not invulnerable.

Prozanski recall effort narrowly fails

An attempt to recall Democratic state Sen. Floyd Prozanski of Eugene ended Friday when the secretary of state’s office found that the recall campaign narrowly failed to collect enough signatures to trigger a vote.

Prozanski was one of four Democratic lawmakers to face a recall attempt after the Legislature this year passed a controversial expansion of background checks on gun sales. The other efforts petered out without signatures being submitted.

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33496547-75/prozanski-recall-effort-fails.html.csp

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. 2 successful recalls, 1 resignation to dodge recall, 1 lost federal senator & the state legislature

But hey, you've got you're 1 gleaming victory.

What do you do for an encore? Post internet rumors that Democrats kick puppies?

[friendly_iconoclast]

24. And that resignation turned out for naught, as the GOP won the seat in 2014...

...which would not have been in play until 2016 were it not for the gun control issue

Somewhere, the shade of Pyrrhus of Epirus is having a chuckle...

[Nuclear Unicorn]

28. "which would not have been in play until 2016"

It shouldn't even have been in play in 2016. All of the losses came from Democratic strongholds.

[branford]

18. Ahh,... now you are the arbiter of who is a "real Democrat."

Could you kindly indicate when you were elected to such a exalted position?

In any event, regardless of the reasons, firearms are a big electoral loser for Democrats in the modern era. Clinton himself blames his loss of Congress (and the election loss of the Speaker of the House!) on the ultimately totally ineffective Assault Weapons ban, Al Gore's loss in his home state of Tennessee was widely attributed due to his stance on guns, and recent federal and state elections have been a windfall for gun rights activists.

A Google search concerning elections and guns reveals nothing but post after post about the joy of gun rights proponents and excuses by gun rights supports for their failures.

The NRA is an organization of only 5 million members and relatively modest financial means, despite the "fear mongering" by people like yourself. That's the reason why Bloomberg and his allies outspent the opposition in the CO recall election by about 6 to 1, and yet still lost. Besides their pet billionaire, gun control supporters have numerous financiers, celebrities and political muscle at their disposal. However, what they cannot match is the 75-90 million non-NRA gun owners, as well as their supporters, who will dutifully and angrily vote to support gun rights.

Congratulations, thanks in large part at efforts at gun control, Congress, statehouse and governorships now contain a higher percentage of your "real" Democrats, but Republicans control the Senate and maintain a larger majority in the House and control of more state governments than in generations past.

[SecularMotion]

20. Please stop slinging NRA propaganda on DU

It is hard to make a case that the assault weapons ban was decisive in 1994.

The law certainly enraged many N.R.A. members and might explain the loss of certain Democratic seats. However, there were other major factors in the Democrats’ 1994 loss, starting with perceived Democratic arrogance and corruption (overdrafts at the House bank came to symbolize that).

Add to that voter unhappiness with Mr. Clinton’s budget, his health care fiasco, the Republican Party’s success in recruiting appealing candidates, and that ingenious Republican vehicle for nationalizing the elections known as the “Contract With America.” The contract, by the way, did not mention guns.

Mr. Clinton’s successful 1996 re-election campaign actually stressed his gun control achievements. James and Sarah Brady spoke in prime time at the ’96 Democratic convention, and Clinton campaign ads trumpeted his role in enacting the assault weapons ban and the ’93 Brady law requiring background checks for gun buyers.

Those who blame the assault weapons ban for the Democrats’ defeat in 1994 also tend to finger gun control for Al Gore’s loss in the 2000 presidential race — especially his failure to carry his home state of Tennessee.

But Mr. Gore’s bigger Tennessee problem was his failure to seriously compete there by providing adequate resources to answer N.R.A. distortions, for instance, and matching George W. Bush’s numerous visits. Largely obscured by the 2000 presidential drama was the loss in Florida’s Senate race of an N.R.A. stalwart, Bill McCollum, to a consistent Democratic supporter of gun control, Bill Nelson.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/opinion/09sat4.html

[branford]

21. Congratulations again. You found a editorial trying to explain terrible

Democratic losses without blaming the gun issue. Would you care to cite the numerous other editorials with differing opinions.

How about we just look at Clinton's own thoughts and comments:

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/bill-clinton-warns-democrats-against-overreaching-on-gun-debate/

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/bill-clinton-to-democrats-dont-trivialize-gun-culture-086443

I find it both hilarious and disturbing that the gun control movement blames an organization that represents a mere 5-6% of gun owners for all their myriad failures. Despite many dozens of media celebrities, loyal politicians and deep pockets, gun control generally still loses at the ballot box, particularly in purple states, and the only explanation offered by the gun control crowd is the NRA? The NRA is not omnipotent, and attempts to make them some boogeyman are ridiculous.

Simply, accusing someone of effectively using the dreaded NRA Talking Points™ is not a substantive refutation of anything, and will certainly not magically reverse so many recent Democratic losses. However, it does explain why gun control is losing so badly nationwide.

[friendly_iconoclast]

22. Please stop distorting reality and acting as if you are some sort of DU political officer

I'd give more weight to the opinions of Dick Gephardt and Bill Clinton, even if I did not
agree with them, than some obscure op-ed writer for the NY Times. 'Agrees with what
I believe to be true' is neither an indicator of veracity or wisdom. Clinton and Gephardt have no
small amount of experience with electoral politics. How many successful campaigns has
Dorothy Samuels either won or run?


Also, you need to rid yourself of the delusions that a) there is one (and only one) 'Democratic position'
on gun control and b) you somehow represent that position at DU.

[SecularMotion]

23. Democratic vs Republican stand on controversial issues

Gun control laws

Democrats favor more gun control laws e.g. oppose the right to carry concealed weapons in public places. Republicans oppose gun control laws and are strong supporters of the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) as well as the right to carry concealed weapons.

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican

[friendly_iconoclast]

25. Fine words, but they are neither yours nor relevant

If (as seems likely) you are bound and determined to make the Democratic Party hostile
to the self-perceived interests of gun owners, then how on Earth can you be surprised when
gun owners realize this and vote accordingly, thus helping to make purple states red?

[branford]

26. How about we actually read the Democratic Platform concerning firearms:

Firearms. We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements—like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole—so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few.

https://www.democrats.org/party-platform

It sure sounds like the Democratic Party is indeed welcoming to many people quite supportive of gun rights. In fact, your strict positions concerning guns appears to well exceed the regulations officially suggested by our Party.

Heck, it even seems possible than one can be both a Democrat and a member of the NRA! That might just explain why the NRA actually gives money to some Democrats...

[upaloopa]

27. Ho hum

another threat from the NRA.
I never see why gunners care about this. Hillary will help keep gun manufactures busy because "Hillary is going to take our guns away!"
There is nothing new under the sun

[friendly_iconoclast]

29. They're a separate organization, not the NRA. *Do* try and keep up...

Last edited Thu Oct 1, 2015, 02:35 AM - Edit history (1)

[friendly_iconoclast]

30. Turns out, Gottlieb was on the mark-and this statement touting confiscation didn't help:

False consensus effect will bite you in the ass, eventually...

[virginia mountainman]

31. Timely BUMP.....nt

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

32. Perhaps the best thing to advocate banning...

...would be the word "style" when discussing gun laws and proposed additional laws.