Potential Opportunity or Agenda: Liberals as America’s Fastest Growing Group of Gun Owners

Article posted with permission from the author, David Risselada

I have always believed that the Second Amendment would be the one thing that would unite all Americans. While the left attempts to create the perception that only red-necked white supremacists own guns, the truth is vastly different. Americans of all walks of life own firearms, and a recent article by the Wall Street Journal has shown that the fastest-growing gun-owning demographic is in fact, the left-leaning liberal. This doesn’t necessarily equate to the left and right uniting to defend our constitutional rights. Many of the leftists who are purchasing their first firearms are doing so because they allegedly fear the so-called — growing white supremacist movement. As far back as the 2016 election, liberals who were afraid of a Donald Trump presidency were buying guns because they believed they were going to be targeted by right-wing nazis who hate homosexuals, or anyone else who is different from them. As funny as that sounds, it highlights the importance of the Second Amendment and the fact that liberals recognize it. For example, a transgendered person named Clara, stated in her 2016 interview with the BBC, that her lack of preparedness would not stop other people from being targeted by right-wing extremists. That is essentially the same as saying gun control will not stop criminals. Unfortunately, many of these people, while finding empowerment in the exercise of their Second Amendment rights, would most likely support gun restrictions of some kind. For example, Gabby Giffords, a known gun control lobbyist who owns and trains with an AR-15, started a gun control group for gun owners. She claims that many people who own guns are open to provisions like universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders. Recognizing the right to self-defense and the purpose of the Second Amendment — an armed citizenry in defense of liberty — are two different things. I would argue that now is the time for the conservative right to be as open and welcoming as possible (not that we haven’t been) with these new gun owners as they will likely be seeking training, and many of them have stated they feel unwelcome.

The reality of media propaganda has been a big focus of my website. I have written many articles on the psychological effects of persuasive messaging and propaganda, focusing heavily on how it controls the perceptions of the conservative base. Many readers, for example, know how I feel about Trump and his stance on guns. The reason I focus on the right is because I am a conservative who doesn’t believe the narrative we are being fed. This doesn’t change the fact that the left is susceptible to the same type of propaganda. The left-wing media has been feeding them constant messages about Trump being a fascist, a nazi, a right wing-nationalist, and a racist. In many ways, this reinforces the conservative support for him. It feeds the perception that he is hated by the left because he threatens to undo many of their core governing policies. How many videos can be found on the internet of left-wing pundits, or politicians, stating that something needs to be done to prevent him from becoming president? It was constant, and because propaganda can be effective in controlling a targeted audience’s perceptions of reality, as I have noted several times, the liberals believe they are threatened by Trump and his so-called brand of right-wing extremism. I would argue that is part of the overall agenda, and that even though liberals are taking a new interest in gun rights, it could ultimately lead to the gun control the left desires. Over the past few years, we have witnessed a propensity of the left to let their rage go based on what they are being told by the media. They are convinced that the entire system we live in is based on racism and white privilege and that our economic system favors the ultra-rich while deliberately ripping the poor of everything they have. On the other side of the aisle is the belief that Donald Trump is the one man who can save us. The divisiveness is so severe that there is little chance the left and right can come together on anything. Some would suggest that we are being marched right into a civil war. If this were to happen, it would be the needed excuse to implement things like the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty. Disarming the American citizen is a global agenda. China, for example, has made several demands to the U.N. that Americans be disarmed.

Another form of propaganda to look out for is based on Moral Foundations Theory. All propaganda is meant to gain acceptance on issues that would otherwise be rejected by the targeted audience. There is an effort to create the perception that AR-15 ownership is extreme, and not a part of America’s normal gun culture. While AR-15s are America’s most popular rifle, it could be argued that AR-15 owners make up the minority among America’s gun-owning population as there are around 90-100 million gun owners and roughly thirty million AR-15s in circulation. People that own bolt, or lever action hunting rifles, and think the Second Amendment is for hunting are very susceptible to persuasive messaging meant to discredit the AR-15. An article by Daniel Hayes, entitled I Am an AR-15 Owner and I Have Had Enough, attempts to persuade readers by showing a willingness to change one’s perspectives on the Second Amendment as being the moral high ground. He argues that the liberty mindset often associated with AR-15 ownership needs to be set aside in the name of public safety. By presenting himself as an AR-15 owner who is experiencing a moral reformation of sorts, he is targeting an audience that may not be rooted in an ideological belief concerning gun rights. Communications researchers have shown this approach can be effective because people, in general, want to do the right and moral thing. I have mentioned this several times but I think it is important to understand. Research has shown that framing messages that align with the targeted audience’s morality is effective in changing attitudes. This is especially true with conservatives that may not be rooted in their beliefs. They are more likely to shift their opinions to the left than a liberal is to the right if the message is framed correctly. Kamala Harris did something similar by claiming that she and Tim Waltz are both gun owners, while still promising to pass laws banning so-called assault weapons. The intention is to create the idea that certain weapons are ok for self-defense and that AR-15s are dangerous and unusual weapons that should be banned.

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On one hand, liberals exercising their Second Amendment rights is a great thing. Conservative gun owners should welcome anyone to partake in this cherished American liberty. Liberals should take note that we do not believe the right to arms should be limited to certain people, it is for everyone. On the other hand, it is also a perfect example of how the left can use our values and twist them against us as the left believes the threat they face isn’t from government tyranny, but a nonexistent white supremacist movement they have been convinced, hates them. The left, in other words, is arming themselves in defense of what they perceive as a threat to their liberty, just as the right believes that government tyranny is a threat to theirs. The difference is that it is a leftwing government telling them that there is a threat, to begin with. Politicians, talking head media pundits, and the education system have all been pushing an anti-American narrative that creates the perception that white people are racist and Republicans are Nazis. Liberals have been encouraged to commit acts of violence against conservatives in the name of combatting white supremacy. Social movements like Black Lives Matter have burned cities to the ground because they have been convinced the whole system is working to keep them down. There is little doubt, in my opinion, that these are manufactured movements, organized by professional agitators. Perhaps, that is part of the bigger agenda. To gain acceptance for red flag laws and get conservatives to accept the idea that some people shouldn’t have guns at all. In the end, though, it will backfire. Just as the transgendered person in the first paragraph noted, in her own way, the ineffectiveness of gun control, so too will they come to see gun control as an attack on their rights. This creates the opportunity for the Second Amendment to be the one thing that can potentially unite all Americans. Welcome these new gun owners, show them that we are not afraid of them and that we support their rights to not only be armed, but armed to the teeth in defense of their newfound appreciation for liberty. The more people that own AR-15s, the more they fall under the Heller standard of being in common use, making it harder to ban them.

If you enjoyed this article consider checking out my latest book on Critical Race Theory

Article posted with permission from David Risselada