It must surprise many DU members how many registered democrats own guns

[former-republican]

25 million registered Democrats are gun owners in the U.S

[Incitatus]

1. It must also surprise Republicans

[former-republican]

2. Not really

Why would you think it would?

Harry Reid was rated an A by the NRA for years.
He's personal friends with Wayne LaPierre

[Incitatus]

8. I don't think that is the kind of info FOX and Rush disseminate.

[former-republican]

11. Or MSNBC

[Incitatus]

18. Point taken

I actually didn't know that until you told me

[Drunken Irishman]

3. How many vote Democrat?

There are a lot of Democrats who haven't voted Democratic since the 70s.

[former-republican]

4. I imagine a few since Obama is President for a second term

[Drunken Irishman]

5. Yeah. A few - that about sums it up.

[former-republican]

6. Best buds here

[Drunken Irishman]

7. Cool story. Hopefully they're not anymore.

Wayne LaPierre is a complete tool.

[former-republican]

9. Reid is a strong 2nd amendment supporter

He's still rated very highly by the NRA

[Drunken Irishman]

10. That doesn't make Wayne LaPierre any less of a tool.

[tradecenter]

70. Tool and a fool.

Truer words were never spoken.

[obamanut2012]

69. Me

My parents.

[Drunken Irishman]

78. Well then...

I guess you shut me up.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

76. Then why identify them as Democrats? n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

77. Just because you identify yourself as a Democrat doesn't mean you're a Democrat.

There are many Democrats, specifically in the South, who haven't voted Democratic in a generation.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

82. They why would they self-identify as Democratic?

Too lazy to register and vote in the republican primaries? I am trying to understand why someone would call themselves a Democrat while not voting for Dems.

[Drunken Irishman]

85. I don't know. But it happens. In West Virginia, 30% of Democrats voted for McCain in '08.

I'm guessing that number was even higher in '12, since Obama did even worse there than 2008.

They might selectively vote Democratic, which is a big reason why many Democrats held local offices in the south for a long period of time - but it's becoming increasingly rarer, especially at the national level.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

86. Hillary won the primary in W VA...

there was no way they were voting for Obama...for whatever reason you wish to believe.

[Drunken Irishman]

88. Obama was the Democrat. They voted Republican.

That was my whole point. It does not matter what their reasoning might be - there are a good number of Democrats who do not vote Democratic. In '04, Bush won the same amount of Democrats as McCain in West Virginia - 30%.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

91. Right...I followed you...

There has long been talk that many republicans register as Dems in order to skew the primary vote. Living in FL, I can believe that as we have run some pretty weak Democratic candidates.

[NickB79]

90. Because the support of the 2nd Amendment is part of the Dem. platform

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.

http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform

[Sekhmets Daughter]

93. How cute. And the republican platform

has an equally meaningless statement about wanting to repeal the 2nd amendment?

What we were discussing is why someone would identify with one party but vote for the other.

Personally, I think the only difference between republican gun owners and Democratic gun owners is that there are no Dem owners who think the government is going to come and take their guns away. Which is not to say that all republicans believe that...just some of the most paranoid.

[NickB79]

97. I'm a gun owner and vote Dem. In fact, I own an AR-15

And would like to continue to have the right to legally own it in the future.

However, I also support a woman's right to abortions.

I'm pro-union: Teamster member for the past 8 years.

I support universal health coverage.

I'm a MASSIVE environmental nut; climate change is probably one of my biggest concerns now.

What we were discussing is why someone would identify with one party but vote for the other.

Because people have diverse beliefs based on their personal life experiences, and it is very rare to find a political party that is perfectly in sync with every one of those beliefs. And some people rank their values in different orders: if I was absolutely forced to, I'd vote for a Democrat who would fight climate change but ban assault rifles, even if that meant I'd lose my AR-15. Others might not feel that way, and vote for a Republican who said no to a gun ban because that was their top priority. Or they might just abstain from voting altogether.

Where is it written that you must agree 100% with every other person in a political party to affiliate and vote for that party?

[Sekhmets Daughter]

104. Perhaps,

you missed my point. What Drunken Irishman and I were discussing was not whether gun owners are Democrats, but why someone would identify as a Democrat and yet consistently vote for the republican candidates. While I recognize there are always some single issue voters, I think most are like you (and me) and prioritize many issues. We then tend to vote for the party that best reflects our own priorities. Yet, as DI pointed out 30% of registered Democrats in W VA voted for McCain in 2008 and probably even more voted for Romney in 2012. So if you routinely vote for one party, why do you register as a member of the other.

[Nevernose]

12. And a hundred million gun owners

Which indicates that 3/4ths of the guns must be owned by Republicans/"independents."

[Scuba]

40. Yep, I'm one of those "independent" gun owners. Never joined any Party.

And I support "reasonable" laws to get our gun-death problem under control.

Define "reasonable"? Sure, whatever it takes to solve our gun-death problem. Unfortunately, thanks to the intransigence of the NRA and some other gun owners, we're going to end up with laws that go far beyond that.

The NRA's refusal to support any gun control continues to harm the case for US private gun ownership.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

83. So you don't participate in the primaries? n/t

[Scuba]

100. In Wisconsin, one doesn't have to join a party to vote in a primary election.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

107. Nice...

Here in FL the primaries are 'closed' you must register with one party or the other in order to vote in the primary.

[Yo_Mama]

45. Your math is wrong - many guns aren't registered.

In a lot of places, there is no requirement to register many guns. Laws differ.

To be honest, in the South most of the gun owners probably are registered D with unregistered guns.

[Cali_Democrat]

13. "former" my ass

[Pretzel_Warrior]

15. He's been remarkably consistent in his message

Since Sandy Hook shooting. Never seems that interested in other topics. Basically your typical gun fetishist.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

35. Yep.

They all showed up between August and October of 2012.

About "former"-republican

Statistics and Information
Account status: Active Member since: Wed Aug 15, 2012, 11:29 PM
Number of posts: 2,082
Number of posts, last 90 days: 1376
Favorite forum: General Discussion, 1271 posts in the last 90 days (92% of total posts)
Favorite group: Gun Control & RKBA, 101 posts in the last 90 days

[RandiFan1290]

48. lol

They all feel so self important!

[baldguy]

14. It's not the Democrats that own guns, so much as it is the "Democrats" that do.

99% of gun owners have no problem with licensing, gun registration, the assault weapons ban, limiting the size of clips, closing the gun show loophole, or any of the other laws & proposed laws which would limit the carnage we face. It's just that these sane people are drowned out by the lunatics who joined DU for sole purpose of spouting RW Republican NRA talking points, all the while claiming to be "Democrats".

[former-republican]

16. How did you come up with that figure of 99% ?

"licensing, gun registration, the assault weapons ban limiting the size of clips"

[baldguy]

23. You're right. It's probably much higher.

I can't imagine that more than 1% of gun owners nationally are the soulless, blood-sucking nutjobs who can scrape enough bile together to continue to advocate the death-loving policies of the NRA, even after the massacres of innocent children & selfless public servants.

[socialindependocrat]

67. Just stop and think about what you're saying

The 98% is a wishful guess that you made up and spewed out
(there are very few gun owners who agree with gun registration)

And, you say, every supporter of gun rights is a Repuke who joined DU for the sole purpose
of spouting NRA talking points.

There are conscientious Dems who grew up in a home with fathers who
taught them how to shoot. No big conspiracy, just father-son bonding.

My father very rarely watched sports. When my friends were collecting baseball and football cards and
memorizing statistics, I was collecting Zoro cards. I still played baseball and football and basketball
but I hardly ever watched sports on TV except at thanksgiving. But I target shoot.

If you listen to your self getting all hyped up, you sound like a teabagger whining about pro-choice.
Now you know how it feels to have strong feelings about something and feel like nobody is listening.
(just am example not a supportive comment about pro-lifers)

I have always tried to calmly tell people that there are Dems who own guns and it is just for very
simple reasons like being taught to target shoot when we were young. Yes there are other simple reasons, too.

In order to get people to discuss, you can't spout off hyperbole and made up statistics and expect others
to think you are coming from a rational place.

[baldguy]

68. Wrong. Most Americans - including most gun owners - oppose RW NRA policy positions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/poll-americans-gun-owners-stronger-laws_n_810069.html

Stop spouting the radical RW anti-American propaganda from the NRA.

[socialindependocrat]

74. Your link says nothing of the sort - Who's spewing here?

Your Huntington post says a lot about instant check and making sure the
data files are up to date.

Other than that I don't see anything that supports your grandiose supposition.

I'll bet you're not even bald!

Come on back when you have some hard data to support your claims.
If you don't then you're the one supporting propaganda...

night, night...

[baldguy]

75. Why am I not surprised that your reading comprehension skills are lacking?

Seems to be a common trait for RW parrots

[BainsBane]

17. The problem isn't gun owners

It's the gun lobby that does anything to promote it's financial interests, including resisting all efforts to implement reasonable control. American citizens, whether D or R, who aid them in that effort likewise share responsibility.

Do you all know than the NRA had legislation written into the Affordable Care Act that makes it illegal for doctors to write down anything about guns? For years the NRA has succeeded in banning all federally funded research on guns, so now that society is interested in enacting evidence-based reform, there is a dearth of studies to draw on. The gun lobby and its defenders have trampled all over the First Amendment to champion the financial interests of a multi-billion dollar industry.

[former-republican]

19. But that is the whole problem

"reasonable control"

What's reasonable to Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein is not reasonable to Harry Reid or millions of other gun owners
in this country.

[BainsBane]

25. The vast majority of gun owners support

Background checks on all gun sales, including private sales; banning assault weapons; and banning extended clips, magazines, and drums. Even 70% of the NRA membership supports universal background checks. Overwhelming numbers of Democrats support those reforms, as do a majority of Republicans. The only Political demographic who opposes these measures is the Tea Party. Only the far right remains recalcitrant. See the SEIU Daily Kos poll for details.

[former-republican]

28. On these two items I disagree

"banning assault weapons; and banning extended clips,"


I think you will find the majority of gun owners in this country don't support it.



On the rest of it I would agree.

[BainsBane]

31. Actually they do

http://www.dailykos.com/polling/2012/12/18/US/148/DON5k#
The Tea Party, however, does not.

[BainsBane]

32. But if you prefer to make it about gun owners

We can do that do. It's your choice.

[Scuba]

41. Please see my post #40.

[Paladin]

47. Is It "Reasonable" To You That The BATF Hasn't Had A Director In Six Years? (nt)

[Jenoch]

20. I bet there are more than 25 million

gun owners in the U.S. that are Democrats, whether they are 'registered' as Democrats or not. The only way to be officially 'registered' as a member of a politcal party in Minnesota is to attend precinct caucuses in Februrary (or maybe sign up at the DFL booth at the state fair). Even in presidesential election years there is always a small turnout for caucuses.

Minnesota is solidly blue and solidly pro RKBA. The only reason conservative republican was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 is because his Democrat opponent was in favor of gun control. The republican even won the Iron Range and the entire 8th district in NE Minnesota, the most solid Democratic area of Minnesota outside of the metro area.

[former-republican]

29. I used 2010 numbers but you are probably right

that now there are even more.

[Trajan]

21. These are the kind of smarmy right wing posts that we hate

Lame thread in a Liberal Democrat forum ...

It's getting to be tiresome

[flvegan]

22. Division is fun, yes?

I mean, what other reason?

[JDPriestly]

24. Why would that surprise Democrats if so many Democrats are gun owners?

Surely those who are Democrats and own guns know how many of us own guns.

The OP makes no sense.

[former-republican]

26. I didn't say it should surprise Democrats

[JDPriestly]

33. My relatives who own guns are staunch Democrats.

Democrats are for the most part not anti-guns, but we would like gun-owners to be more responsible about who uses the guns and for what.

I would like to see a website that features a photo of every child that has been killed by a gun in the past ten years. If a photo is not available, their should be a blank space representing the absence of a photo.

Perhaps that would remind gun owners of their obligation to handle their weapons carefully.

The anti-gun discussions only become very active when gun abuse becomes so horrible that it cannot be kept out of the news.

I live in an area that has seen a lot of gun violence. It is quite distressing.

The NRA and gun owners have a responsibility TO THEMSELVES to do what they can to end the gun violence.

If they leave gun regulation up to people who don't own guns and don't want them or up to the government, gun owners may not like the results. So this is a problem that the gun advocates need to deal with. They still have a chance, but patience is running out. Not necessarily mine, but that of the country.

It would be wiser to think about what can be done to end or lessen gun violence than to worry about who is opposed to guns.

[Shrike47]

27. My house has guns and we all vote Democratic.

Why wouldn't Ds have guns? But the Conservakooks seem to think we won't have them. It always bemuses me.

[Victor_c3]

37. Don't forget that some of the pioneers in conservation were prominent hunters

like the Roosevelts. They most definitely had guns (and probably lots of them too).

[patrice]

30. not me

[MFM008]

34. I do

but as long as no one breaks in to try to kill me we will all get along.

[bowens43]

39. So basically you fully intend to use your gun to kill human beings....

sad

[NutmegYankee]

51. How is the entirely rational desire to defend one's self from murder "sad"?

You have a natural right to stop yourself from being killed. In fact, the opposite view is usually deemed a mental illness.

[Victor_c3]

36. I own a pistol as well and I also have a carry conceal permit

.... and I most definitely vote Democrat in all elections.

Like was mentioned above, I'm all for regulations on guns and weapons. There is no reason why I need a military grade weapon for my home defense. I would like to think that I'm capable enough with my pistol that I don't need a fully-automatic rifle with a several high capacity magazines to defend myself. I've deployed to combat and been through a number of rather intense firefights. I know that I'm capable of handling a pistol in a situation that requires its use.

Even though I own a pistol, I have two little kids at home (ages 2 and 4). They get into everything and are curious about anything that they find. With that in mind I don't feel safe keeping a pistol in my house so I don't even have it in my house anymore. It is locked up in my parent's gun safe several hours from where I live.

If you own a weapon, you need to be responsible with it.

[bowens43]

38. No, it doesn't . republicans haven't cornered the market on stupidity.

[Honeycombe8]

42. Why do you think that would surprise people? For one thing, "registered Democrats" is a meaningless

term.

We don't register to a party here in Texas. They do in Louisiana, but many of those registered Democrats were registered years ago, and are really Republicans now.

A lot of people in rural and southern areas have guns, regardless of how they vote.

I guess I don't see the connection between political affiliation and owning a gun. Guns are not evil to people who grow up in rural or southern areas. I don't recall a mass killing with guns in those areas, either. That's a yankee thing, as far as I know.

[NutmegYankee]

49. Quite a bit of school shootings in the South.

It's not a "Yankee" thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States

[Honeycombe8]

96. I said "mass killings." But you are right in that some have occurred in the south...

(note that I don't incl. TX & FL in the south....TX is more southwest, and Florida is, well, Florida. But that's my opinion.)

There was the famous Virginia Tech mass killing in Virginia, of course! How could I forget that one.

But most shootings do seem to have occurred in the north, west, and southwest. I wonder why that is? I have a theory, maybe. It's that they have more crowded living conditions? I saw a documentary once that showed they could make primates more violent by putting them in crowded cages.

[NutmegYankee]

99. *sigh* I wouldn't call the VT shooting famous...

My Dynamics professor was killed in that. A sour topic of discussion.

Density of living may have an effect. I think the Newtown shootings were a shock here because a lot of the state is lower density. Once you get away from I-95 or I-91, it gets rural.

[Honeycombe8]

108. The Amish school shooting was even less populated. So maybe that theory doesn't work.

It was just a thought.

[Paladin]

43. There's A Vast Difference Between Gun OWNERSHIP And Gun MILITANCY.

Sure, there are a good number of Democratic gun owners---I happen to be one of them. But the gun militancy movement, which propels so many contentious threads here at DU, and which has basically taken over the DU Gun Control/RKBA group, has been an instrument of the far right wing for decades. Any argument to the contrary is ludicrous.

The ownership vs. militancy distinction is something that our resident Gun Enthusiasts constantly try to gloss over. Don't be fooled. Prior to the 2008 election, a poll on voting intentions appeared in the DU2 version of Gun Control/RKBA. 45% of the respondents indicated a willingness to vote Republican on the basis of gun policy. Gun ownership doesn't cause such bizarre actions, but gun militancy sure as hell does.....

[former-republican]

52. My belief is she failed back then and it will fail now

Summary of 2013 legislation

Following is a summary of the 2013 legislation:
Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of:
120 specifically-named firearms;
Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one or more military characteristics; and
Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds.
Strengthens the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and various state bans by:
Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test;
Eliminating the easy-to-remove bayonet mounts and flash suppressors from the characteristics test; and
Banning firearms with “thumbhole stocks” and “bullet buttons” to address attempts to “work around” prior bans.
Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds.
Protects legitimate hunters and the rights of existing gun owners by:
Grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment;
Exempting over 900 specifically-named weapons used for hunting or sporting purposes; and
Exempting antique, manually-operated, and permanently disabled weapons.
Requires that grandfathered weapons be registered under the National Firearms Act, to include:
Background check of owner and any transferee;
Type and serial number of the firearm;
Positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint;
Certification from local law enforcement of identity and that possession would not violate State or local law; and
Dedicated funding for ATF to implement registration

Do gun owners think this is reasonable gun control since that seems to be the word thrown out a lot by the party?

[Lizzie Poppet]

66. It would be worse for the party if it actually passed as written.

I realize the timing is different this time (we're a long way from the next election), but do these people not remember what happened in 1994 after the passage of the first useless, cosmetic Assault Weapon Ban? The GOP took both houses of Congress and crippled the Clinton presidency for a couple of years. This bill is quite a bit less cosmetic (although equally useless in actually reducing homicide, I'd gladly wager).

After the Journal News debacle, no provision for registration at the federal level will fail to provoke vicious opposition and potential disaster at the polls.

[Paladin]

71. Gotta Love The Selective Outrage Of The Gun Enthusiasts.

1. All bent out of shape that a newspaper published gun owners' information, in a legally permissible fashion.

2. Concern and sympathy for 20 dead first graders, 6 school employees, and their devastated families? Crickets.......

[Lizzie Poppet]

73. And you posted this in reply to me because...?

Spare me me the sweeping generalizations, please...the critical thinking kiddie pool is thataway -->

[Paladin]

94. Hope Your Gun Safety Habits Are More Advanced Than Your Ability To Deliver Insults. (nt)

[Lizzie Poppet]

95. Unlike the latter...

...the former (which are impeccable) are not hindered by the policies of the venue in which they are practiced. I could certainly give you the insult your initial comedy-tier outburst deserved...but there's a (very broken) jury system in place here. No point in posting something just to have it deleted when someone whines about it. This is not the place to practice one's insult delivery...even on such easy targets.

Alas, it's not the place to practice the better sort of discourse, either...at least not in a gun thread. Time to let those sit and fester, I suspect.

[Paladin]

109. Gracious.

I get you a little riled up, and you go all William F. Buckley on me. Alas, indeed.

Your Most Obedient Servant,
In The Interest Of A Better Sort Of Discourse,

Paladin, Esq.

[GoCubsGo]

44. Nope, not at all.

I know more Democrats and liberals who pack heat than I do republicans. A lot of them hunt and/or are ex-military. I even know a few collectors and people who enjoy target shooting. This business about Democrats hating guns and wanting to take them away is just another right-wing scare tactic. Yeah, sure. Some liberals hate guns. They are what the fear-mongers zero in on. Ditto for the "Democrats hate the military." and "Democrats hate hunters." meme. But, they don't represent the whole picture, or the many, many shades of gray that are involved. If anyone should be surprised at that figure, its all these republicans who believe the lies they've been fed for all these years.

[bemildred]

46. Not really, we know who we are. nt

[Spider Jerusalem]

50. not especially

it may surprise some people, but DU skews more West Coast/Northeastern and urban than the country as a whole, and a significant percentage of posters here have no understanding or conception of rural culture and the role that things like hunting and learning to shoot play in it regardless of one's politics. The hunting/sport shooting thing is not a political issue, it is a cultural issue. Whether quasi-military weapons with high-capacity magazines should be regulated is a distinct and separate thing to the question of hunting and sport shooting or indeed having a weapon for home defence; it's possible to have a nuanced view that is neither "ban all guns" or "an armed society is a polite society".

[upaloopa]

53. Guns have nothing to do with your politics.

Owning a gun is not right wing.
Supporting gun rights is not a liberal value.
Guns are not a rural white guy thing.

What are some of the other tie ins that have been posted lately in OPs?

Can we keep it real and discuss the obvious pluses and minuses without the baggage?

[MissMarple]

80. Bingo!

Shooting guns can be fun. I think it is more likely that Democrats and progressives who own guns are far more supportive of effective gun ownership laws than paranoid right wingers.

[MightyMopar]

110. GUNS HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR POLITICS, ONE OF BEST INDICATORS OF BEING A REPUBLICAN OR DINO!

PUKES OWN GUNS ALMOST TWICE AS MUCH AS DEMOCRATS. AS FAR AS I CAN TELL MANY OF THE DEMOCRATS THAT DO OWN GUNS ARE SO FAR RIGHTWING IT HARDLY MATTERS!

It does seem odd that someone would claim some sort of victory with 31% of the vote.

fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/in-gun-ownership-statistics-partisan-divide-is-sharp/

[MissMarple]

111. And it can also be an indicator of where you live or have grown up.

[Warren Stupidity]

54. 69% of Democrats do not own a gun. NT.

[RandiFan1290]

55. I think it would surprise those of you on the right

How many democrats own guns and don't have to brag or chat about them all day long.

[former-republican]

59. I'm not on the right

I support social programs , saving medicare , social security , increasing the minimum wage
alternative energy research and civil rights

but guns are being mentioned everyday by the MSN , the Democratic party and by the Administration

There's going to be a battle on this bill within the Democratic party .

[Progressive dog]

56. It must surprise many gun nuts that all gun owners don't support the official NRA views

[still_one]

57. how many own assault rifles? owning a gun would not surprise me because the position of most

Democrats is NOT the banning of guns, but of weapons used to take out large numbers of people, or that weapons do not get into the wrong hands

[former-republican]

60. how many own assault rifles?

That's hard to say , there's no hard numbers kept but even many handguns sold in most states
come with more than a ten round mag

The bill wants to basicly ban all semiauto rifles that are mag fed.



Modern sporting rifles are perhaps the fastest-growing segment of the domestic long gun industry. From 2007 to 2011, according to the Freedom Group’s most recent annual report, domestic consumer long gun sales grew at a compound annual rate of 3 percent; modern sporting rifle sales grew at a 27 percent rate.

[cantbeserious]

58. No Surprise - Our Job Is To Outlaw Guns So It Won't Be A Discussion Topic In The Future

Repeal the 2nd Amendment NOW!

[TheKentuckian]

61. Shit, I own and am strong RKBA but generally otherwise relegated to "the fringe left"

I don't even support the machine gun "ban" and think that the big city bans in Chicago, New York, and D.C. are not only unconstitutional but that the Federal government should step in and break them.

I know plenty of Democrats who own. Enough to say it is commonplace, like near half.

Seems to me that the Turd Way is real hot and heavy on it. I had always thought that was a "street cred" thing though, gives them an issue to be "left" on. They hook up with the authoritarian "left" sorts that are focused on porn, sodas, concern trolling/scolding in support of the drug war, video games, music lyrics, smoking, and are always whining about "the children" and stir up shit.

I find it interesting and alarming that on issue after issue the ring leaders come out talking about keeping powder dry, incremental steps, and have a finger in the air trying to discern which way the wind blows but on this, on this it is damn the torpedoes and balls to the wall. On gun control there is a passion for many that doesn't exist on economics, military, environmental, Civil Liberties, homelessness, safety nets, or even Civil Rights issues. Those things can be long gamed in to infinity, no risk too small but gun control is a whatever it takes proposition.

Maybe that comes from the authoritarian set, they have unlimited passion as long as it is about the state dictating individual behavior to their design.

I don't know but there are underlying dynamics that are hard to identify at work but there is no shortage of Democratic gun owners. I also imagine there is no shortage of TeaPubliKlan non-owners and probably still some who favor gun control.

Seems to me to be a population density issue to me that has been overly politicized.

My guess is that regardless of affiliation support for stringent gun control is higher in super metros and declines as density decreases.

I bet it isn't tough to find rabid right wingers in NYC that advocate gun bans or the most far left you can find in wilderness of Alaska that furiously oppose such a thing.

Environment is a huge factor and if all politics are local, many will naturally believe as their conditions lean. What is the access to and perception of the police? How much violence is in your vicinity?

Not even accounting for individual influences and rationales.

[City Lights]

62. I'm not surprised. eom

[NutmegYankee]

63. If you've been active in rural democratic circles it's no surprise.

[fascisthunter]

64. hahahahaha

...and, most are not gun absolutists, who are against all gun regulation.

[Hoyt]

65. What's the point? To keep those Democrats happy, we have to allow a bunch of yahoos to arm up?

If the gun owners are truly Democrats, they will still support gun laws that keep yahoos from arming up with "assault" weapons and walking around in society with a gun or two strapped to their body.

I am amazed at the number of Democrats in the Gungeon who support more and more semi-autos, in more and more places, and routinely celebrate lethal weapons.

[jmg257]

72. Im more surprised with how many so called Democrat gun owners

Would break the law just to hold on to those guns a democratic society deems too dangerous.
AND applaud the notion of rethug & teabagger gun owners joining them in their defiance.

But apparently selfishness, exaggerated fear and stupidity can cross party lines.

[MightyMopar]

79. According to the 538 Blog only 31% of Dems own guns, 29% of Hispanics, 21% of blacks, 15% of Asians

Only 42% of all voters own guns and people under 29 years old only 34%. Fast growing urban demographic is only 30% The future looks bleak for the gun lobby.

fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/in-gun-ownership-statistics-partisan-divide-is-sharp/#more-37925

[HockeyMom]

81. It is part of the American Culture

and goes beyond party lines. Changing the culture will someday change that.

[jillan]

84. So what? What is the point? Democrats owning guns does not change that fact that too many

people are being brutally murdered by guns - and we need to figure out something to change that and protect our citizens.

This is not about politics, it's about the right for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness being taken away by Bushmasters & glocks.

[mokawanis]

89. Exactly right n/t

[JI7]

92. yup, as if we would change our position just because of party registration

of gun owners.

[tabbycat31]

87. does not surprise me

THere are several areas of the country that guns play a huge part in their culture. I work for Democratic campaigns, and my latest assistant owns guns and hunts. I don't hold that against him.

[NickB79]

98. Lots of Dems in the military. Lots from the Midwest

Do people honestly think that all the union workers in the Midwest who traditionally vote Democrat DON'T own guns? I work at a plant that's part of the Teamster's Union in Minnesota, just south of the Twin Cities. It doesn't get bluer than that in my state. Even here, non-gun owners are far and away the minority among my coworkers.

The Democratic Party better be ready to dump extra cash into campaigning in states like Ohio and Minnesota if they pass any kind of sweeping gun control legislation. It will be needed, I'm afraid.

[morningfog]

101. That doesn't surprise me. What surprises me is how many supposed Dems are

frothing at the mouth NRA gun extremists.

[MightyMopar]

112. I don't think they're real Democrats, liberals or even independents

I'll just politely call them libertarian synthetics

[Rider3]

102. So?

Yeah, we are both registered Dems, and my husband keeps guns. Locked up. It's called being responsible. There's no need to show these things off.

[djean111]

103. Never thought about it like that.

If I was thinking about guns as the only thing about a person that is meaningful, I would divide them up in terms of crazy people to stay away from and people who don't feel they need to boast about or carry guns everywhere. I doubt if I know who has a registered gun and who doesn't, amongst my friends. I don't need to know. If I meet someone who feels the need to blather on about their guns, or carry a gun everywhere (I live in Florida), or whatever, I just avoid them. I certainly don't care about their politics. I think their politics is not germane to the gun conversation. I do think some people will line up behind the party that accuses the other party of wanting to go door to door and confiscate their guns. Wearing blue helmets or whatever.

[realism101]

105. Don't forget...

...about all of those registered Democrats in the 'hood that own guns. You know, where the vast majority of gun crime actually takes place. Where the guns were obtained illegally. Where sentencing for crimes, including gun crimes, has been diluted down to nothing. If you think those guys are walking into a gun show and buying guns, just go to a gun show. Find anyone that looks remotely like he's a gangbanger.

No, instead, let's go after the legal gun owners. And let's make sentencing for simply having one of these guns in your house much worse than if some 14 year old in Chicago gunned down a roomful of people with an Uzi. Just like everything else these people do, let's ignore the facts and statistics and ramrod legislation through that will hurt law-abiding citizens, rather than the actual criminals.

[Dawgs]

106. Any DUer that would be surprised that would be dumb.

The question implied by the OP is a question an ignorant Republican would ask.

[NashvilleLefty]

113. How many of those are assault weapons?

I own a gun. A single-shot shotgun. So, technically I am a "gun-owner".

I do not own an AR-15, or anything that comes close.