Reply #17: This is a double-edged sword... [View All]

[IrateCitizen]

You may personally dislike it, but gun control is an issue that resonates with the vast majority of people in this country, including gun owners themselves.

I'm no longer a gun owner, but I grew up in a rural area and learned to handle firearms responsibly before I was 10 years old. Much of my family are still active hunters and own firearms. Personally, I don't have a problem with measures like trigger locks, background checks, waiting periods, etc. I don't believe that any of my gun-owning relatives do either.

On the other hand, I also VEHEMENTLY disagree with the likes of Dianne Feinstein and Charles Schumer on their approach to gun control, which really isn't too far off from seizing all firearms and melting them down. The Democratic Party needs to distance itself from this kind of message, even if it means marginalizing this extremist point of view.

Those of us in favor of gun control are often fond of criticizing gun rights advocates for not condemning the extremists in their midst. At the same time, WE need to condemn the extremists in OUR midst on this issue.

It's like Howard Dean said vis a vis the different gun control needs of NYC as compared to VT. This needs to be articulated clearly and repeatedly in order to denounce the "gun-grabbing Democrats" myth. And if necessary, we need to put a muzzle on Feinstein and Schumer in order to stop them from reinforcing the perception of Democrats as a bunch of gun-control extremists.