Read these statements on gun control from a Politico piece that came out following the horrific Las Vegas mass shooting:
“Sixty-four percent of voters support stricter gun laws, the poll shows, including 41 percent who strongly support them. Less than 3-in-10 voters, 29 percent, oppose stricter gun laws, including 16 percent in strong opposition.”
“[M]ore than eight in 10 voters [back] required background checks on all gun sales (88 percent), preventing sales of all firearms to people who have been reported as dangerous to law enforcement by a mental-health provider (87 percent), making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks (84 percent), preventing those convicted of violent misdemeanors from buying guns (83 percent) and barring gun purchases by those on the federal “no fly” or terrorist watch lists (82 percent).”
So how is it that 64% of people support something in general and over 80% back specific law enactments yet the minority wins out? How does such a majority of the country back gun control and more importantly, specific proposed legislation, yet fail to accomplish anything? We have lists of members of Congress who take the most money from the NRA and its pals. How do they get re-elected when they stand against something that the majority of people want? Well, we researched those very questions and came up with a simple answer: People who are against gun control care more than people who are for gun control.
Read this article and scroll down to the first headline. It reads: “Gun rights advocates are better organized and more passionate.” Here are some additional stats for you:
1. “The NRA has between 3 million and 4.5 million dues-paying members.”
2. “According to one survey, 51 percent of those who wanted to protect gun rights were registered to vote, compared with 45 percent of those who supported gun control.”
3. As of 2014, “a quarter of those who prioritized gun rights said they had, at some point, contributed money to an organization that took a position on the issue, compared with 6% of gun control supporters.”
4. Also as of 2014, “gun rights proponents outnumbered gun control supporters by 45% to 26% when it came to those who said they were involved in one or more instances of activism.”
5. As of 2017, “[a]mong gun owners, 30% said they could vote only for someone who shared their viewpoint. Among those who didn’t own guns, it was 20%. Not only that, but since 2000 the percentage of gun owners who said gun issues were key to their vote climbed by 17 points. It rose by just 10 points among those who didn’t own guns.”
6. Also as of 2017, “[g]un owners [were] 9 points (21% to 12%) more likely to have contacted public officials about gun policy than those who don’t own guns. Americans who favor[ed] loosening gun laws have been 7 points (22% to 15%) more likely to contact public officials than those who favor stricter gun laws.”
You may be thinking to yourself, “hey, I care about gun control!” or “this article isn’t talking about me”. Well, ask yourself this: When’s the last time you picked up a phone and called your member of Congress or Senator about gun control? What about your state legislators? We’re not talking about one of those emails you add your name to. We’re talking about tying up phone lines until something happens. When’s the last time you helped organize for a candidate that supports gun control? When’s the last time you organized against someone running for office who vows to vote against gun control? Really though, when’s the last time you even thought about gun control when it wasn’t in the aftermath of a mass shooting?
Do you know whose answer to the above questions is “every single day”? People who don’t want gun control. The gun lobby. People who support the NRA. They are in this fight every day. Until the majority of people supporting gun control make it clear to elected leaders, both state and federal, that they will not be re-elected when they take NRA money or vote against gun control legislation, nothing will change.
You want elected leaders to take a stand against guns? Demand it. And not just in the day or two after a mass shooting. Words, tweets, and Facebook posts are nice. Voting and activism are the only methods that will change anything though. You say want change? Act on it. Now. The clock is ticking. Mass shootings are happening not just on our elected leaders’ watches, but on ours too.