wish there was some way to force gundamentalists to look each victim in the face and explain to their family how their loss is neccessary to maintain a 2nd amendment that allows murderers and rapists to own guns.

Sadly, their notion of rationality means complete disassociation from the results of a policy of widespread gun proliferation.

I really think telling more stories about these victims helps a lot. Even if it doesn't sway the gun lovers, it must plant little seeds of doubt in their minds. I would hope by telling these stories there would at long last be some glimmer of humanity brought to the discussion for those in denial.

We should never, ever buy into the ridiculous notion that we're the emotional ninnies in this battle. Keeping firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them is about as rational and logical a position as there is; the rest of the civilized world is years ahead of us in putting this sane outlook into action. It's certainly no secret that right wing politicians in this country play on the raw emotions of gun militants for votes---it's not working as well as it used to.

This past weekend, I came out of the grocery store and walked past a pickup truck. On the rear window were stickers proclaiming the following: "NRA: Stand and FIGHT!," "Keep Honking---I'm Reloading," and "Come And Take It," (this last one showing an assault rifle imposed on a cannon; the cannon has to do with a Texas independence battle). Draw your own conclusions.

that grips them when they talk about the fact they think their lives are endangered by some unknown assailant.

and DU's very own Gungeoneers, these are just inconvenient truths, and an acceptable by-product of "freedom." Instead of working to regulate gunz they say, we should be solving all of the social ills which cause people to misuse the Second Amendment -- unless of course solving social issues costs actual money.

What these right-wing, Libertarian gun fetishists fail to realize (or acknowledge) is that we are not calling for more control of weapons, but rather more oversight and regulation of who can own firearms, where they can carry them, and demanding responsibility and accountability for the ownership of lethal weapons.

It will take a while to undo the damage that the NRA and its acolytes have caused our country, but the pendulum is swinging back toward reason and sanity. Gun owners like Gabby Giffords are more representative of mainstream Americans than are the extremists who promote the unfettered proliferation of gunz and more gunz for everyone. The gun fetishists are in the minority, and their only source of influence, the NRA, is fast losing its strangle hold on American politics.

bill: To the NRA apologists and DU's very own Gungeoneers ... What these right-wing, Libertarian gun fetishists fail to realize..

I just did two polls (over 2 wks) on the UN Arms Trade Treaty, one in GC/RKBA board, the other in Politics2013, & the results show the startling dichotomy between regular (or commoner) democrats & pro gun democrats, even on such a non-2ndA topic as the UN ATT - which is largely aimed at controlling illegal international weapons trade to stifle 3rd world countries obtaining large quantities thereof.

Politics 2013 -- 13 votes over a week, july2013:
12 More Fully Support (UN Arms Trade Treaty)
01 Somewhat Support

GC/RKBA board -- 35 votes, 1 pass (2 wks now):
09 More Fully Support
01 Somewhat Support
04 Ambivalent
01 Somewhat Oppose
20 More Fully Oppose

1) Dem Political Posters 92% full + 8% somewhat = 100% support UN ArmsTradeTreaty.

2) GC/RKBA Posters 26% full + 3% somewhat = 29% support UN ATT.
57% Full oppose + 3% somewhat = 60% oppose UN ATT
.............................. 11% ambivalent, support part oppose part.

(repost).. imo this demonstrates a rightwing tendency on rkba bd, quelle surprise.
The Dem Politics bd is over represented at 100% obviously, but I doubt by much, maybe 90% support would evolve over time with a larger sample size, imo.
Even so, with such larger opposition, 60% opposed on more of a 'dem' gun board*, & only ~30% support, it demonstrates a disconnect between a majority of pro gun posters with their commoner democrat constituents in essentially a non 2ndA/gun area, since ATT does not apply to american gun policy, outside of gun industry profits perhaps. Ambivalence depends moreso on what you disagree with. It's just some knee jerk reaction to oppose gun control as evil, even when it doesn't have much to do with american gun policy.
If you think UN Arms Trade Treaty infringes on 2ndA rkba, I can only think paranoia.
But don't despair, rejoice. It's a non scientific poll.

*Hard to compensate for rightwing infiltrators like excopLS, remove his vote I should but wouldn't change it much, couple pts either way. http://sync.democraticunderground.com/1172128227

the hard work, and for your always informative posts.

It is pretty much a given that the DU Gungeoneers do not represent typical American gun owners, and their claims of being Liberal Democrats are highly suspect. A few insist that they are "Libertarian Liberals," but we all know that there is no such thing. Their absolute love of all things guns is a very right-wing mindset, and the NRA is well aware of that fact.