Reply #171: Well you are not a drive by poster...

[spin]

While it is true that I would probably be unable to change your mind and you would find it extremely difficult to change mine, other posters and lurkers often follow the arguments here. Therefore a good debate might prove educational and help people form a educated opinion on the subject of gun control.

I post in the Gungeon because (1) I'm a Democrat and (2) posting a pro-RKBA opinion on a liberal, progressive Democratic forum is a challenge. I want to test my arguments and find their weaknesses. It's quite possible that a person who regularly haunts conservative pro-gun sites but occasionally visits DU, will read the arguments and realize that not all Democrats favor draconian gun control or registration and confiscation. Realizing this he may make a decision to read the discussions on other topics and possibly reconsider his support for the Republican party and at least consider voting for a Democrat.

Of course the lurker might find better logic in the points presented by the gun control advocates.

You state that "the Democratic party does does support gun control and we do it because we feel that we have a better understanding of the issue than the other party. Its really that simple." I would point out the the subject is far from simple and many Democrats totally disagree with extreme gun control measures.

As this chart shows many Democrats either own their own firearm or live in a hose where another member owns a firearm.



This graph shows that most firearm owners own a firearm for self protection.



The info comes from a Gallup poll conducted in 2005 http://www.gallup.com/poll/20098/gun-ownership-use-america.aspx

The Democratic Party has shot itself in the foot several times over the gun control issue and has so polarized many of the 80 million gun owners in this country that they refuse to even consider voting for a Democrat candidate. Support for gun control has decreased significantly in the last few years.

(CNN) -- From Oakland, California, to Binghamton, New York, several mass shootings in recent weeks have killed dozens across the country. But has there been an effect on public opinion?

Yes, and in a surprising way.

Since 2001, most Americans have favored stricter gun laws, though support has slightly dropped in recent years: 54 percent favored stricter laws in 2001, compared with 50 percent in 2007, according to Gallup polling.

Now, a recent poll reveals a sudden drop -- only 39 percent of Americans now favor stricter gun laws, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

The gradual, long-term decline in support for gun control from the early 1990s to 2008 coincided with a decline in the murder rate. But this year's sudden drop seems to be influenced by politics, namely the Obama administration.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/08/gun.control.poll/

In fact while the number of firearms in our country has shown a dramatic increase over the last couple of decades and many states have adapted "shall issue" concealed carry laws, violent crime has also shown a dramatic decrease.



I don't consider the proliferation of firearms and the advent of many people carrying concealed firearms as the cause of the drop in violent crime. But if more guns = more violent crime, the graph would look far different.

Thanks for your reply. I can understand why you don't really want to participate in the debate. If you start, you could easily spend a lot of valuable time in the Gungeon.