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Originally Posted by coyota1
Yes the demographics are shifting away from the traditional gun owner.
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Yes, demographics have shifted away from traditional gun owners - and thank goodness they have.
40 years ago, the typical gun owner was probably a hunter and typical guns were bolt-action or lever-action rifles, pump shotguns, and maybe a revolver as a nightstand gun. We would be in serious trouble if gun rights depended on the steadily declining number of hunters in our country.
Luckily, the demographics of gun ownership have changed dramatically in the last 40 years. The growth in recreational shooters and people who own guns for self defense have more than offset the losses in hunters. And those new demographic groups continue to grow at an increasing rate.
The changes in demographics of gun ownership are also important in defeating any major new gun control laws. Even in 1994, a large percentage of the "traditional" gun owners did not care whether the AWB passed because it did not affect the guns they owned. Today, a very substantially larger portion of the firearms community owns guns that would be affected by a 1994-style AWB.
Consider two facts: over 8 million Floridians voted in the 2012 general election; Florida is very near (possibly this week) reaching its one-millionth outstanding concealed carry license. Forgetting all other gun owners in Florida, just the concealed carry license holders in that state are a very potent voting bloc that Florida politicians will not ignore.