I spent most of my life in the upper Midwest, so every winter I heard tales of people who had died in blizzards because they simply ignored storm alerts. Similar stories can be found amidst California wildfires, Texas tornados, or Florida hurricanes. Some people just refuse to take the steps to protect themselves. And, in some cases, they die.
Psychologists call this very human phenomenon “denial” and unfortunately, it is prevalent among some gun owners. You may even know one yourself — someone desperate to believe that even obvious threats to their rights are “exaggerated” or “just political propaganda.”
Look at the “Tweets” and other comments posted to online articles on the gun debate. You will find no shortage of gun owners refusing to admit there is anything to worry about. I read one last week that declared, “I’m a gun owner, and a CCW holder, and Obama has never come for my guns. This is all hype by the NRA to get donations.”
But this guy ignores the reality that the only reason we haven’t had major Federal action on guns is because people like you and I have fought back, electing pro-gun candidates, and making our voices heard.
And don’t doubt for a second that gun confiscation (starting with prohibition of “certain” guns, of course) is still the “holy grail” for gun control zealots. But the public does not support such drastic measures, so “nibbling around the edges” of our rights has been the preferred tactic.
For example, on the East Coast, the state of Virginia just announced that they will no longer honor the carry permits/licenses of 25 states. As reported in the Washington Post:
“RICHMOND – Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced Tuesday that the commonwealth will no longer recognize out-of-state concealed handgun permits.
The move is in step with actions governors and attorneys general are taking to address gun violence without going through Republican-controlled legislatures.” [Emphasis ours]
The reason for such tactics is that gun control in general has been steadily losing support, especially at the national level. As a result, rabid anti-gun advocates have gotten more creative. At the forefront is anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has been focused on flooding the individual states with millions of dollars, hoping to influence local officials.
Insiders report that the Virginia Attorney General’s decision to virtually eliminate inter-state reciprocity was essentially “payback” for the estimated $2 million of Bloomberg money that was funneled into the state. Once again, “follow the money.”
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, in what could be an even more dangerous and far-reaching development, Seattle’s controversial “Gun Violence Tax” was upheld by a liberal judge as legal. As reported on December 23, 2015, by the AP:
“The measure, one of only a couple of its kind in the nation, adds $25 to the price of each firearm sold in the city, plus 2 or 5 cents per round of ammunition, depending on the type.”
If such measures spread, the results could be disastrous. The cost of firearms and ammunition will soar, especially when officials decide to raise the taxes ever higher, as they inevitably will.
Bloomberg is reputed to have set aside $50 million for the express purpose of funding local and state restrictions, regulations, and financial burdens on lawful gun owners. And all with NO input from state legislatures.
Your state could be next. And denial is not a strategy.
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