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How much does this anti gun movement have to do with gun violence or is it a passive-aggressive way of attacking the right wing?
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Once upon a time a bit more than half a century ago, some politicians of both parties supported gun control as a means to combat CRIME.
The Gun Control act of 1968 was a major attempt to do that. Or so they claimed. Gun makers even supported the law (I believe because it wasn't clear to them everything it would do.
Restrictions on imports (especially handguns) under the buzzwords "Saturday Night Special", ending of direct mail order sale of firearms. Setting national AGE standards for firearm purchase. Creation of the "prohibited person" class for convicted felons. Creation of a required Federal License to deal in firearms, along with record keeping requirements. Even requiring all ammo sales to be logged and recorded (this was later dropped) and some other things I can't recall off the top of my head.
Politicians of both parties supported or rejected gun control based on their personal beliefs and those of the people they were pledged to represent. Party affiliation was not a consideration, really.
Now skip a lot, jump forward some 40 years and we find ONE political party making gun control one of the planks of their party platform. It became no longer a matter of just Constitutional rights but also a matter or PARTY LOYALTY. Simply put, if you were part of the party, seeking office, and didn't support gun control, the people running the party would see to it that the party didn't support YOU.
SO, yes, TODAY it has become a Left/Right issue, because one side CHOSE to make it so.
Back in the 19th century one party chose the Jackass as their symbol because in those days it was a symbol of a hard working, dependable beast who could be very stubborn when they thought they were right.
Today they still keep that same symbol but it seems other than the stubborn part all it seems to mean is being a JACKASS.
Nor has the other side been significantly better, overall, just different in focus, usually.
So, yes, part of the issue today is people who accept, adopt and promote gun control as right, because they want to be good party members over being individuals with individual rights, who respect ALL the individual rights of others not just those they personally value.
or so it seems to me...