Democrats: Compromise. Give up guns.

In My Humble Opinion
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I have been registered as non-partisan for as long as I can remember. I consider myself pretty liberal. I’ve always wanted to live in The Future, and the only way to get there is to progress. UHC? You bet. It’s probably my ‘main issue’. Gay marriage? Yes. It has no effect on me, and why shouldn’t everyone enjoy the same rights and privileges? (<= Rhetorical question.) Keep science in schools, with the scientific method, critical thinking, and so on? Oh, yes. Progressive taxes? Yep. Acceptance of different cultures? Check. Freedom from religion? I don’t want a Christian Taliban. Capital punishment? OK, I admit some ambivalence; but for various reasons I come down against it.

But there’s one issue upon which I disagree with many other liberals, and the Democratic Party. Gun control. Yes, there are a lot of crimes committed with guns. Yes, there are people who obtain them who shouldn’t. But looking at the percentages of guns used in crimes vs. ones used legally, many proposed gun control laws would punish the many for the actions of the few. Plus I like my collection, even if I rarely get to the range anymore.

There are a lot of calls for compromise nowadays. The compromises seem to me to focus on single issues. In the case of taxes, for example, Democrats want to raise them for people and virtual people who are most able to afford to pay more. Republicans are willing to let the majority pay more, unless the rich get to pay less. The obvious compromise is to raise taxes on the upper echelons and keep taxes the same (or lower them) for the majority, and to make spending cuts where they would do the most good and do the least harm. With both sides entrenched, it’s difficult for either side to budge.

Single-issue compromises are not the way to go. President Obama said, rather impolitically, that certain people ‘cling to guns and religion’. These people tend to vote for Republicans. Ironically, these people are the ones who would be helped most by UHC and a more progressive tax code.

There are many things that decide one’s vote, but isn’t there room to give a little? Which is more important: People being able to get medical care before their conditions progress to the point where they are extremely expensive to treat, and ensuring people will not lose their homes due to high personal medical bills; or restricting access to the vast majority of law-abiding gun owners to their hobby? I think the former. I think the Democratic Party should come out and say, ‘We are fine with the background checks, the prohibitions on certain people to own guns, and the state laws regulating guns in those states. We will drop the issue. In exchange, Republicans can give us some of the things we want.’

Some people hate guns. However there are more important things in life, and for the country. Let’s drop the issue and concentrate on what’s important.

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Republican politicians unify behind stances intended to appeal to their base.

Democratic politicians tend to follow their consciences.

Yes, I agree this tends to work out poorly for the Democrats.

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The Democratic Party has already given up on pushing the gun issue. Sure, there are plenty of Democrats who would impose stronger gun laws if they could, but they know they don’t have the votes and there are other fights that are easier to win. The only reason that it remains in the news is fear-mongering right-wingers who are convinced that that Muslim socialist Obama is plotting to take their bang-bangs away.

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For reference, here’s the Party’s official stance on guns:

[Quote=Democratic Party Platform]
Firearms
We recognize that the right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and wewill preserve Americans’ Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact and enforce common-sense laws and improvements – like closing the gun show loophole, improving our background check system, and reinstating the assault weapons ban, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Acting responsibly and with respect for differing views on this issue, wecan both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.

(p. 50)
[/quote]

Obama has said he won’t pursue any gun laws, and I believe him. I don’t think it’s an important part of the Democratic cause these days, and there are plenty of Democrats who are literalists wrt the 2nd amendment.

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Obama relaxed the rules on bringing guns into national parks and hasn’t attempted to pass a single piece of gun control legislation, but he’s still being hammered as a secret anti-gun fascist and being told “Compromise. Give up guns.” I don’t think you’ve considered how this strategy would actually play out, because they’ll be demonized as anti-gun fascists regardless. Also, “compromise” and “give up” don’t really work as part of the same idea.

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I’ll note that not once in your OP did you mention a particular instance of Democrats advocating or passing gun control legislation. Why is that, do you think? Is it because you’ve been so ingrained to believe that Democrat = gun hater and Republican = gun lover that it requires no evidence to prove its truthfulness? Just take judicial notice of the fact and move on to the larger point?

But your larger point is flawed too. That, were the Democrats to just say they love guns and were satisfied with the existing law, would-be Republicans would flock to their side.

Barack Obama’s Gun Control Plan Focuses On ‘Existing Law’

And what does the NRA have to say?

NRA claims ‘massive Obama conspiracy’ not to ban guns

That’s right. The fact that Democrats stopped going after guns is PROOF that the Democrats want your guns even more. They’re just waiting until after the elections to do it.

Somehow I don’t think your proposed solution to will work, Johnny.

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Well, I suspect if you lived in a crime ridden, poor neighbourhood, where children were routinely dying in the crossfire, you might feel a little differently.

Here in Canada we have all the same gun crimes you have, murders, hold ups, massacres, accidental shootings, etc. (People hunt, collect, etc.) Thing is, the numbers are way, way, WAY out of whack. Of course it’s not just far fewer guns in hands, it’s also less gun worshiping culture, to be sure.

America represents an ongoing object lesson in what’s wrong with putting a gun in every citizen’s hands, to Canadians! Imagine our surprise after the latest, in a seeming string of 'walk in, shoot ‘em up’ massacres, and the talking heads are all saying, “Now is not the time to talk gun control.” Say what? Canadian’s are largely baffled, by this attitude I believe.

For us it would resemble a return to the Old West, where you need be aware that everyone is toting a gun! Yikes! I prefer otherwise, myself, thanks anyway.

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I believe the Democrats have given up on guns for now because they see that popular opinion is becoming more pro-gun, largely Republicans but more and more Democrats as well. That doesn’t mean that long-time opponents like Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t push for gun bans if they thought they could get enough support for it. It’s just not an issue worth fighting right now.

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Cite.

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I didn’t mention it in the OP because I am aware of what Obama has said. I see this as a positive sign. As for your equivalence statements, yes; there are Democrats (and liberals like me) who don’t hate guns. But in my lifetime it has been the Democratic Party that has made most of the calls for gun control. It’s not ‘ingrained’; it’s what I have observed. Of course, I’m from California.

I don’t suggest that Republicans would flock to the Democratic side. But for many Republican voters, gun control is Issue Number One. They may not turn Democratic because of all of the other issues, but that’s not what I’m… aiming for. I see it as an issue amongst the representatives. If the Democrats unequivocally take it off the table and offer that as a ‘compromise’ to the Republicans, we might get the Republican representatives to bend on more important issues.

The statement posted by bup isn’t good enough. It uses weasel words like ‘common sense laws’. It also calls for the reinstatement of the ‘assault weapons’ ban. They need to drop that.

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Bloomberg isn’t a Democrat. He was elected twice as a Republican and then again as an independent, and he’s been making noise about a third party for years. He was a registered Democrat before all that, but calling him a Democrat is pretty dicey at best.

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I’m not entirely sure what you’re citing… that Bloomberg, a man elected twice as a Republican, once as an Republican/Independent, who supported George W Bush as president, doesn’t like guns?

Is this proof that Republicans hate guns?

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Yeah, sure. When have they shown any interest in any compromise whatsoever recently? They’d just do what they’ve been doing for years; take the concession, give nothing in return and demand more.

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From wikipedia on Michael Bloomberg:

Apparently not a Democrat at this time.

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I am one of those liberal Democrats who think we would be better off with much stricter gun laws.

I have no problem with hunting rifles for those who like to hunt.

But really - give me one fuckin’ example where you need an automatic rifle? Afraid that bunny rabbit is going to get away from you?

And the sole purpose of hand guns is to shoot people. Period. Or are you going to claim you go hunting with a hand gun?

So yeah, if I had my druthers the only guns that would be legal would be hunting rifles - and that would certainly help in lowering crime statistics - sure, you can kill people with rifles, but it is a tad more difficult to sneak a single shot rifle anywhere.

Unfortunately, other Dems have no backbone when it comes to gun control - and I don’t see my dream regulations becoming real in my lifetime. Thus I wouldn’t concern myself unduly with fears anyone will ever take away your unnecessary, armory of overkill weapons.

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Along with issues like gay marriage and drugs, Americans have been moving toward a libertarian position on gun control for years including Democrats. It is the one battle conservatives will win on social issues.

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How did that work out for the 10 people in front of the Empire State Building this morning? NYC has very strict gun control. The assailant illegally had a banned handgun, got his former boss, like he intended to. Then went and comitted suicide by police who shot him and wounded 10 bystanders.

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It didn’t work because different states/cities have different gun laws, obviously.

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Errr…

Ummm…

Well, ok. That might, just possibly, have been a tiny error on my part.

I think of Bloomberg as a Dem.

Please allow me to withdraw that cite and substitute Steny Hoyer and Jon Larsen:

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Yes, I utterly screwed the pooch there.