Democratic candidates embrace gun control despite political risks
And in other news, the sun is forecast to rise in the east tomorrow . . .
Aftab Pureval, a Democrat seeking to unseat a Republican congressman in Ohio, knows the political risks in calling for gun restrictions – and taking on the powerful National Rifle Association, which has spent more than $115,000 supporting his opponent over the years.
But after a spate of school shootings, including February’s massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida, Pureval believes voters in the Republican-leaning district have had enough of congressional inaction.
“The leaders that they sent to Washington, D.C., to represent them have had their opportunity time and time again – and time and time again, they have failed,” Pureval, 35, said after a rally with gun-safety activist and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who suffered brain damage from a gunshot in 2011.
I went to a huge conference on school safety. No one wanted to talk about gun control.
Go figure . . .
Making it harder to purchase guns seems like an obvious solution. But at the conference, talk about gun control was practically taboo. When I asked Canady about it, he didn’t want to go there.
“We don’t get involved in politics — that’s toxic,” he said. Instead, the association is focused on making sure school cops are prepared to face a teenager with an AR-15 who is ready to commit mass murder, he said.
When I asked Lewis about passing laws to restrict gun sales, she just shook her head. “I don’t know if that would work,” she said.
As I walked through the conference exhibit hall on the last day, none of the vendors I spoke to wanted to talk about gun control either. It wasn’t that they thought people should be able to buy guns freely. Their responses came more from a sense of resignation, even cynicism, about the possibility that lawmakers would ever restrict gun ownership in the United States.
How gun control and gay rights became key to selling jeans
Another brand looks to alienate a large portion of its customers . . .
After the deadly February massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students there began organizing to demand gun control. Their voices led to the massive March for Our Lives national movement, one that has left the National Rifle Association and conservatives apoplectic.
The teen-age activists caught the attention of American Eagle Outfitters, a 40-year-old youth-oriented clothing brand that its outpacing similar retailers and has seen its stock (NYSE: AEO) soar in the past 12 months. The company sent an email blast to its database of millions of customers urging them to RSVP for the march and posted an image about the event to its 2.7 million Instagram followers.
“Our high school years are supposed to be about freedom and fun–not fear and violence,” the email said. “We are committed to doing whatever we can to support (the students’) efforts to make our schools safer.”
It was a bold move for the brand, which still operates 1,000 stores throughout the country, many in red state havens like Hoover, Alabama, and Minot, North Dakota, where gun lovers rule. On Instagram, it was clear the brand had alienated some. “Stay out of politics, and do what you’re good at… selling clothes,” wrote user “heyitzjim” underneath the brand’s March for Our Lives post. “Many are using these terrible events as a means to justify ending the Second Amendment instead of looking at the root of the problem.”
Hogan Outguns Jealous on NRA Questionnaire
That’s a low bar . . .
Jealous challenged Hogan to return any and all NRA campaign contributions and to release his responses to the NRA campaign questionnaire. Hogan scoffed, his campaign saying he had no intention of filling out the questionnaire, according to reports. Gun laws are settled business in Maryland, and that’s that.
Hogan is a nimble politician who has generally avoided the culture wars that bedevil many conservatives and has concentrated mainly on fiscal issues. Otherwise, he has given Democrats much of what they want.
Jealous is getting an object lesson on the advantages of incumbency. Jealous met at a Starbucks with a group of students from Great Mills High School, where Jaelynn Willey, 16, was gunned down by a spurned classmate. Hogan invited representatives of the same group to a meeting in the imposing office of the governor in the antique State House.
On a polarizing issue like gun control, can lawmakers find common ground?
Not when one side wants to restrict or eliminate an enumerated civil right . . .
“Its time to take off our partisan colored glasses and realize President Obama wasn’t going to take away anyone’s guns, nor is President Trump going to allow all gun laws to expire — (nor) will he urge Congress to repeal all of them,” said Jason Grill, a media consultant. “Extreme hyperbole on both sides of the aisle and from special interest groups is the reason why common sense legislation doesn’t exist in America.”
Universal background checks were popular among the Influencers. As they rated various gun-control policies, about 92 percent of the Influencers either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with universal background checks.
Nearly 90 percent wanted to make it harder for domestic abusers to get guns, and about 80 percent agreed with banning assault-style rifles such as AR-15s. Banning bump stocks and high capacity magazines had strong support, but raising the minimum age to buy a rifle or shotgun was less popular.
Oh, and one more time…you can’t stop the signal.
People aren’t supposed to be able to legally download plans for 3D-printed guns until Wednesday, but by Sunday, more than 1,000 people had already downloaded plans to print an AR-15-style rifle, the Pennsylvania AG says https://t.co/tcb9lQGvl6 pic.twitter.com/Td6bq9HWmb
— CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2018