Gun Ban Lobby Retooling Messaging, Again

Politico had this article earlier in the week titled Dems urged to retool their guns message that details how the group Americans for Responsible Solutions, led by former Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, is pushing to rebrand their messaging.  While they may be trying to change their PR, it is still all about enacting more restrictions on our rights.  Politico reported this is all based on poll and focus-group data with the hope that it will take hold among a public that has long accepted gun ownership:

For example, groups seeking tighter gun laws have been trying to get away from the “gun control” label since well before ARS started testing for a new messaging strategy last year. Better options, they say, are “gun violence prevention” and “preventing gun tragedies.”

"We've stepped away from a debate about guns that was sort of postured pro-gun or against-gun,” said Peter Ambler, the PAC’s executive director, “into one that’s centered around data-tested ideas like the background checks that we know increased public safety and save lives, but don't sort of disapprove of the individual gun owner and don't disapprove of the responsible use of firearms in society.”

And while Hillary Clinton promised to “keep taking on the NRA” in October, she should maybe stop, according to ARS’ findings, and instead take on the “gun lobby.”

“The NRA has great favorabilities in a lot of places,” said Global Strategy Group Jeff Pollock, pointing to the 144-year-old organization’s popular — and apolitical — hunting and safety training programs.

They have a new playbook too:

ARS invested heavily in developing the new message, hiring Greenberg Quinlan Rosner to run several polls, Global Strategy Group to host online discussion boards and Anzalone Liszt Grove to hold five focus groups around the country with gun-owning women, millennials and minority voters.

The strongest message in favor of stronger gun laws, Walker said, is “with freedom comes responsibility.”

That language mirrors that of gun rights groups, by design. The NRA calls itself “freedom’s safest place,” for example.

“Essentially, we co-opted their language,” Walker said. Similarly, another point stresses that “as adults, we have a responsibility to make our country a safer place to live.”

ARS’ strategy also subtly suggests that its allies are overplaying some strategies. “Relying on victims’ and survivors’ stories alone can amplify feelings of hopelessness,” its strategy booklet cautions.  

“Mothers have also been powerful advocates for stronger gun laws, but we need to show through our messengers that they are not the only ones who want to reduce gun violence,” it advises, before suggesting bringing in more men, gun owners, hunters and experts like ER doctors and police.

It appears from the article that they may have finally figured out that the power of the NRA is not money, but the activists who contact their legislators.  I especially liked this line:

“Their money isn’t that big,” Pollock said. “It’s not what they do. Their power rests in their stupid postcards and their ability to terrorize members on the Hill and have them panicked about their rating.”

Politico also pointed out that that what goes unsaid is the gun ban lobby far out spends the NRA.

The article finishes up with some interesting data that confirms previous reporting on the views of so-called "millennials" and the issue of gun ownership:

ARS also developed specific messages to turn out parts of the original Obama coalition of blacks, Hispanics, women and millennials. The latter might actually be the most difficult to persuade. ARS’ pollsters found that millennials' views on guns track more with the party ID than their age, and other studies have found that younger voters are especially open to gun rights, seeing them in the same vein of personal liberty as gay rights.

Jenn Jacques who writes at BearingArms.com appeared on NRANews.com's Cam and Company yesterday and said that the gun ban groups may try to change their messaging to talk about freedom and safety, it's really still just about control.

Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly To Announce "Virginia Coalition for Common Sense"

The Washington Post reports that former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly will be in Virginia today to introduce the creation of a group called Virginia Coalition for Common Sense made up of law enforcement, the faith community, domestic violence prevention, and mental health communities to push for mandatory background checks at gun shows.  Just last month, Governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law a bill that expands recognition and reciprocity for Virginia's concealed handgun permits, creates the ability for private sellers to use the State Police to run voluntary background checks on perspective buyers at gun shows, and tightened restrictions on gun ownership for those under a court ordered domestic violence protective order.

The couple were in Delaware yesterday announcing the "Delaware Coalition for Common Sense" where according to WDEL News Talk Radio, they pushed for "processes for relatives and law enforcement to temporarily prevent people suffering a 'mental health crisis' from accessing guns" and "closing what Kelly deemed the 'Charleston Loophole,' a provision in federal law that automatically allows a gun dealer to complete a firearm sale if a background check takes longer than three business days without a ruling."  Look for similar measures to be pushed when they announce their Virginia Coalition.

The Post noted while Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety "strongly rebuked" McAuliffe for making the concealed carry deal with GOP legislators, Giffords group stayed mum.  It was not mentioned whether McAuliffe or any in his administration would be at the unveiling today but former Obama U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Tim Heaphy along with a former staffer for former U.S. Senator Jim Webb will be part of the coalition.

Washington Post: Giffords Group to Invest Heavily in Virginia Elections

The Washington Post reports that the gun-control group founded by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, plans to focus the Virginia State Senate races this year, planning to dump $600,000 in three races that could decide control of the State Senate.  They are targeting the 13th District (State Senator Richard (Dick) Black) as well as two open seats, one in the 10th District, and the 29th District in Northern Virginia.

Democrats have said that the races­ are among those that will give them the best chance to wrest control of the upper chamber from Republicans, who have a two-seat majority. One vote separates the parties because Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is the tiebreaker.

This year’s expenditure matches­ the amount the group spent in 2013 to help elect Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who were embroiled in two of the most contentious political contests in the country that year.

Virginia gun owners living in the 10th, 13th and 29th districts need to contact the NRA-PVF endorsed candidates in their district to see how they can help those candidates between now and election day.

Click your candidate below to find out how to contact them.
10th District: Glen Sturdevant
13th District: State Senator Dick Black
29th District: Hal Parrish

Giffords Back on Capitol Hill Pushing Background Checks

Former Representative Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly were back on Capitol Hill yesterday pushing for expanded background checks for private sales.  But, as the Washington Post notes, the chances of getting a bill through congress is not so good.

The new House bill, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015, has bipartisan support. Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.) appeared Wednesday with the Democratic authors of the bill, and three other Republicans -- Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Peter T. King (N.Y.) and Pat Meehan (Pa.) -- are also authors.

But Dold and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), the bill's lead author and chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, offered little besides blind hope that the bill would make it through committee and through House leadership to the floor.

This appears to be slightly different than the 2013 proposal that was defeated in the Senate.  That bill applied to all private transfers.  But as Dave Kopel has testified, expanded background checks on private sales are unenforceable without gun registration.  Further, while such checks are promoted as allowing transfers among family members, it would have prevented transfers without background checks between friends, "significant others", roommates, gun club members, or extended family members (i.e. cousins, uncles, etc).  The bill unveiled yesterday would impact private transfers at gun shows and those posted on the Internet by a private individual seeking to sell from their private collection.  Background checks are already required for sales on the Internet from popular sights like AuctionArms.com, and Gallery of Guns.

As the Washington Post accurately predicts, don't look for this bill to go very far.