Will Gun Safety-- Real Gun Safety-- Be A Campaign Issue This Year Despite The DCCC?

Melanie Zanona and Mike Lillis co-authored a post for The Hill, Dems seize on gun control heading into midterms. The title is deceiving and I realized there were 2 writers before I looked, one writing a piece reflected in the title and one who could have written “Cowardly Dems refuse to seize on gun control heading into midterms.”

Real gun safety in 2018 means banning the manufacture and sale of semi-automatic weapons to civilians, as Bernie explained on the Senate floor (in the video above). Progressives like him are asking for that, rather than the preferred DCCC position-- better background checks and lower age limits. Bernie cited a recent Quinnipiac poll that shows 67% of Americans “support a nationwide ban of the sale of assault weapons. And they believe and I believe that assault weapons are designed as a military weapon to kill human beings. That is what those weapons are designed to do. And I believe, and have believed for 30 years-- and a majority of the American people believe-- we should end the sale and distribution of those weapons.”

Here’s the part of the article in synch with the title: “Democrats are vowing to embrace gun control on the campaign trail this year, seizing on what they view as a shift in political winds while recognizing that Congress is unlikely to pass any new reforms before November. Strategists say it’s a smart move given there is more public support for gun reform than ever before following a deadly mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in mid-February that sparked anti-gun violence rallies in cities across the country last weekend.” The rest of it is basically the DCCC position that opposes real gun control. Keep in mind while you read it that the DCCC has aggressively recruited extreme anti-gun control fanatics like Anthony Brindisi (NY), Paul Davis (KS), Jeff Van Drew (NJ) and Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ). The DCCC is also standing behind incumbent NRA allies Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX), Darren Soto (New Dem-FL), Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA), Vicente Gonzalez (Blue Dog-TX), Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR), Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN), Ron Kind (New Dem-WI) and Tim Walz (MN), currently running for Minnesota governor.

But gun reform-- which has long been considered the third rail in Washington politics-- also risks alienating certain voters, especially in some of the GOP strongholds that Democrats are targeting this election cycle.

Democrats acknowledge the backlash to recent calls from former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens to repeal the Second Amendment underscores the public fears about a “slippery slope” when it comes to gun control.

“It hurts the message,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist. “It basically raises the hackles of a lot of people who think Democrats are out to take away all the guns. It scares the bejesus out of people.”

“Democrats should make the distinction that we’re not trying to take away your Second Amendment right, but we do want strict limits on ownership and sales on guns that are weapons of war,” he added.

The intensified focus on gun reform marks something of a shift for Democrats, who shied away from the issue for years after suffering sweeping election losses in 1994-- a wave largely attributed to the assault weapons ban they’d championed earlier that year.

Similarly, presidential hopeful Al Gore lost several traditionally Democratic states as he sought the White House in 2000-- including West Virginia and his home state of Tennessee-- where voters were exceedingly wary of his gun positions.

…Congress passed several provisions within a massive 2018 spending bill in March that were designed to reduce gun violence, particularly in schools, following the Florida shooting.

While the measures included bolstering the background check system before gun sales and empowering federal researchers to examine gun violence as a threat to public health, among other provisions, the changes placed no new restrictions on gun sales, merchandise or ownership.

While Democrats say they’ll continue to press for those changes in the GOP-led Congress, they’re also conceding the political reality that their favored reforms-- including universal background checks and an assault weapons ban-- aren’t likely to reach the floor this year.

…While campaigning on gun control might not work in every district, strategists say the issue is likely to be a big winner for Democrats in some of the marginal, suburban districts that could be key to helping Democrats take back the House in the fall.

That nationwide movement inspired by the Parkland student activists, dubbed “Never Again,” may also increase enthusiasm and voter turnout in the midterms, which has historically disadvantaged Democrats.

“You’ve seen lots of voters who have become single-issue voters around gun safety, which is something that those who oppose gun safety measures have always been successful at doing,” said [Rep. Ted] Deutch.

In a show of how much power the movement has amassed, a number of advertisers started pulling out of Fox News host Laura Ingraham's show this week after she posted a tweet critical of one of the Parkland students.

"This has galvanized millions of millennials, which makes it easier," Bannon said. "When there’s this much outrage, you’re going to have a lot more people involved in the political process, and that’s good for Dems.”

“Like most Americans, I am tired of seeing Mimi Walters offer her ‘thoughts and prayers’ after every mass shooting, and then voting however the NRA wants-- regardless of our families’ safety,” said Katie Porter.

“You know what I am fighting for? A ban on assault weapons so that dozens don’t die in a matter of minutes, mandatory background checks on all gun sales, and a healthcare system that provides comprehensive mental health treatment.

“Orange County families have made their feelings heard, time and again, that common-sense gun protections are our values. That’s why I am here today, and that’s why I am running for Congress-- to stand up to special interests like the NRA and stand up for Orange County families.”

Levi Tilleman, the independent-minded progressive Democrat running for the suburban Denver seat occupied by Mike Coffman (R). His message about gun safety should make the DCCC ashamed of their cowardice. "Our advocacy for smart gun laws," he said today, "should be motivated by ethics and evidence-- not polling. Post-Parkland shooting, the DCCC's weather vane swung towards gun control. It feels a lot like something that's news-cycle driven and that's not right."