Could the emerging narrative of an "armed left" be the precursor to gun control?

[hexola]

I've been saying since the election - Trump will be the guy to get gun control...

His followers believe in him - and would accept it if he said it was right.

I've always felt guns was Trumps weakness - I doubt he really gets the issue. He's an uptown metrosexual type - who thinks only "bad guys" have guns.

He identifies with "Law and Order" - And for the most part - Policemen seem to be more anti-gun than most...

He hung out with Rudy G - who used gun control laws to help lower crime in NYC.

I think he would be totally open to gun control - certain elements of his base would recoil for sure - but I think most would see Gun Control as "keeping guns from terrorists" and making sure only "Real Americans" could get guns.

Its a paradox for sure - just like the record sales under Obama - who's lip service to gun control advocates yielded little fruit.

But hell NO - they weren't going to let THAT GUY take their guns...but Trump is different. Maybe the paradox works in reverse...

If he makes the case - they'll eat it up - and that has already begun with the notion of the scary armed left.

EDIT: I know we have a gun control forum - but I thought this was more about Trump and less Gun Control...for now.

[jberryhill]

1. It was in 1968

When African Americans began arming themselves, there was sufficient consensus for gun control.

[atreides1]

2. No!

The NRA and the vast majority of gun owners(which include many Trump supporters) will turn on him!

[DK504]

3. As a southern white woman I'd love nothing more than to show up in battle rattle with one of my long

guns and stand toe to toe with these idiots. Wonder what the cops would do to me, hopefully not shoot me.

[Orsino]

4. At best it will drive some commission to compile a national database of voter registrations.

They don't need to ban our guns if they think they can find us and show up with many more guns before someone important gets hurt. Same reason they're not afraid of right-wing gun nuts now.

[hardluck]

5. That's cute

You obviously don't hang out with enough gun owners. Jesus could come down from on high and if he threatened to take their guns they'd shoot him and call him a commie for good measure.

[hexola]

6. Plenty of them jump through the hoops for Concealed Carry permits

Concealed Carry is sort of overlooked as "gun control" but I think it is.

They seem ok - and kind of proud of getting these types of permits...

If a new level of permitting was Trump approved - they would love it.

[Lee-Lee]

7. If you follow concealed carry laws you would understand

You start out a few decades ago where concealed carry was pretty much outlawed everywhere unless you were well connected politically enough to get a special exemption for a permit.

The exception being Vermont, where concealed arry has pretty much been legal for all of our lifetimes without a permit.

And slowly laws got changed to allow permits, with varied standards by state. Is it more restrictive than a state like Vermont where no permit is required? Sure. But is it less restrictive than an outright ban? Yup. So it's seen as a win if your pro self-defense and pro-gun.

And now slowly more states are adopting the Vermont standard of not requiring permits. However even in those states most people still get one because you can't have reciprocity with other states without a permit.

[hardluck]

10. My post was mostly tongue in cheek

But you underestimate the ideological fervor of 2d Amendment proponents. They believe in their cause just as much 1st Amendment absolutists believe in theirs. They are not going to follow Trump or anyone else down a path to gun control.

As to your example of concealed carry, it is inopposite. As Lee-Lee points out the concealed carry movement is an expansion of gun rights. They are not accepting of permits - they have pushed the status quo from no concealed carry to shall issue in almost all states. And they are not accepting of that position as the end. They are now arguing for constitutional carry.

[Iggo]

8. When black people want guns, you get gun control. (n/t)

[sarisataka]

9. It would fit

as historically, and paradoxically, Republicans have enacted more gun control than Democrats.

I would disagree on some points-
Police Chiefs and other administrators who answer to political masters are pro-gun control. Rank and file police officers have consistently supported keeping guns out of the hands of criminals while being supportive of legally armed citizens, including carry laws.

Trump on the other hand I would suspect is an elitist. He wouldn't oppose laws restricting guns for the unwashed masses, with the caveat that such support doesn't hurt his popularity, as long as the rich and connected can still purchase and carry guns. Many outspoken celebrity gun control supporters share this attitude.(Trump has a NYC carry permit, which is slightly more rare than a unicorn)

[ecstatic]

11. Interesting. Can someone who associates with

gun humping trumpers test it out and report the response? I'm really curious to see if that's a red line for them.

[NutmegYankee]

12. Classically gun control has been to keep guns out of minority's hands.

The permit system was widely abused in the South for this purpose.

[DanTex]

13. LOL. No. His base is made up of racists. Are there any racists who aren't also gun nuts?

You're talking about a man who thinks that the answer to mass shootings is more guns. You think he cares about victims of gun violence?

No, he's not going to sign any gun control laws. Sure, if he did, that would be good. But he won't. This is the same kind of wishful thinking that caused some people to think that maybe some of Trump's craziness would result in better policy in areas like trade.

But it's not. He's a right-wing psychopath.

[NutmegYankee]

15. Yes, there are racists who hate guns.

I know a few. Evangelicals who backed Trump hoping for Pence to come to power.

[hack89]

14. No. He is stupid but not that stupid. nt

[JoeStuckInOH]

16. Many of the existing gun control laws are rooted in Jim Crow...

they didn't want "those people" having guns. There are MANY racist roots to gun control laws. Just google for it. Enough racism behind gun control (historically) to make you almost not want to have anything to do with gun control today.

So you're absolutely right that the left flaunting guns could very well lead to the right supporting gun control.

[surrealAmerican]

17. He won't do it.

1. He has sons that shoot animals for fun.

... but, more importantly...

2. That "armed left" narrative you allude to is an excuse for law enforcement to kill protesters. They don't want to lose that excuse.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

18. You are exactly wrong - "armed left" is used to undermine

gun control efforts. It's the same narrative as politicians who are rabidly anti-gun, but enjoy armed protection at public expense, or anti-gun but who carry guns themselves, or celebrities who are anti-gun but make a fortune using guns in movies, etc, etc.

[MrsCoffee]

19. You forgot your sarcasm smiley.