that's not an insignificant number.
One reason that there are so many Republicans in Florida is the common perception that the Democratic Party favors draconian gun control. Good Democrats lose a lot of elections in Florida because of this belief. I personally know gun owners who absolutely refuse to vote for any Democrat merely because of the fear that Democrats would push for very restrictive gun laws. Even though they actually agree with many other policies that Democrats support, many have large sums of money invested in their shooting hobby and enjoy the sport. They are single issue voters and they show up at the polls to support Republicans.
If our party would simply admit that supporting restrictive gun control is a poor tactic and stop pushing unpopular laws which would make gun ownership more difficult for honest citizens, we could convince far more people to vote for Democrats in future elections.
While the NRA-ILA and other pro-gun groups paint Obama as very anti-gun, the reality is that he has been more than fair to gun owners in his first term.
Parks open to holders of concealed guns
By Stephen Dinan The Washington Times Monday, February 22, 2010
U.S. national parks will open Monday to holders of concealed firearms as a hard-fought law passed last year takes effect, but both sides expect more battles over exactly what the legislation means in practice.
The law - probably the biggest legislative achievement for conservatives in what was otherwise a year dominated by President Obama’s agenda - says national parks will be governed by the same rules as the states in which they are located. That means about 370 of the country’s 392 National Park Service properties will permit visitors to carry firearms.
***snip***
Advocates of gun control were dismayed that House Democrats accepted the language and that Mr. Obama signed the bill. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence gave Mr. Obama an “F” for his first year in office.
“In just one year, Barack Obama has signed into law more repeals of federal gun policies than in President George W. Bush’s eight years in office,” the Brady Center said in its one-year report, which also noted rules that restored Amtrak passengers’ ability to carry firearms in checked luggage.emphasis added
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/22/national-parks-will-open-gates-to-holders-of-conce/?page=all
Obama expressed his views on gun control in an op-ed to the Arizona Star.
President Obama: We must seek agreement on gun reforms
March 13, 2011 12:00 am • President Barack Obama Special To The Arizona Daily Star
***snip***
• First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System is the filter that's supposed to stop the wrong people from getting their hands on a gun. Bipartisan legislation four years ago was supposed to strengthen this system, but it hasn't been properly implemented. It relies on data supplied by states - but that data is often incomplete and inadequate. We must do better.
• Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data - and therefore do the most to protect our citizens.
• Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can't escape it.
Porous background checks are bad for police officers, for law-abiding citizens and for the sellers themselves. If we're serious about keeping guns away from someone who's made up his mind to kill, then we can't allow a situation where a responsible seller denies him a weapon at one store, but he effortlessly buys the same gun someplace else.
http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/mailbag/president-obama-we-must-seek-agreement-on-gun-reforms/article_011e7118-8951-5206-a878-39bfbc9dc89d.html
Far more Republicans would join the Democratic Party than Democrats who would leave if the Democratic Party changed its views on gun control.
There has been a lot of attention focused on the "Strand Your Ground" law in Florida and the media at the national level as well as at the state level have definitely opposed the law. The fact that the law remains popular with voters despite all the negative attention proves that gun control is very unpopular in Florida. It's effectively a ball and chain that hampers the ability of our party to win elections and positively change our nation. Florida will be a very important state in the upcoming Presidential election.
While I believe that Obama will win reelection, it will be a tight race if the economy slows. We may need all the votes we can get. Obama can campaign on his record on the issue of gun control but it would help if other prominent politicians in the party also became less anti-gun.
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