Clinton to Dems: Don't Trivialize Gun Culture

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The Big Dog is absolutely right on this.

(Though I do worry that the beginning of this quote will be likened to Obama's "cling to guns or religion" quote:

“A lot of these people … all they’ve got is their hunting and their fishing,” he told the Democratic financiers. “Or they’re living in a place where they don’t have much police presence. Or they’ve been listening to this stuff for so long that they believe it all.”)

Personally, I think this new gun control push is a mistake, though I don't necessarily disagree with the specific proposals. Gun violence is down, we have bigger problems, and guns are an incomparably hot hot button issue. I've basically thought that, as long as he left that one alone, Obama might be able to make a lot of progress. But, unfortunately, the die has been cast. I that that the belief that Democrats are anti-firearm (as some are, of course) has harmed the party inordinately. One might, of course, argue that a new AWB is good policy, and I am unlikely to argue against that claim. But I am very concerned that it is bad politics. And a little bad politics now can make for electoral losses in the future...and electoral losses mean more GOP power...and that almost inevitably means more bad policy in the future. A couple of crazy assholes with AR-15s might end up changing our political and policy future very much for the worse.