Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: Here is the problem [View all]benEzra
(12,148 posts)As I recall, the polls in 1994 showed above 75% support, and it bombed...and as I mentioned, ownership is probably triple or quadruple now what it was then, and the proposed bans go much, much further than then.
One problem, then and now, was that many supporters weren't aware of the scope of the legislation ("do you support banning rapid-fire military weapons that have no legitimate sporting purpose" is quite a different thing than "do you support banning the most popular civilian target rifle in the United States" or "do you support making it a Federal felony to possess an ordinary 15-round pistol magazine" . Once the 1994 law was passed, a lot of supporters found that their own ox had been gored. There are strong parallels to the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act, IMO.
The other thing is that people you are threatening with 10- to 25-year felonies are going to be much more involved than somebody who thinks that some abstract ban on items they don't fully understand might possibly do some good. As the saying goes, it's like ham and eggs; if you're a chicken, you're concerned, but if you're a pig, you're involved.
Disclaimer, I'm in the former category (competitive shooter, CHL holder, nonhunter).