Could gun control be the new gay marriage?

[SecularMotion]

Is gun control the new gay marriage? Or are the issues more like mirror images of one another?

Both could be categorized as hot-button topics that for years generated more political activism on the right than on the left. Both have also seen a recent shift in public opinion that, in the case of gay marriage, is upending the politics surrounding the issue, and in the case of gun control, has the potential to do so.

But there are big differences between the two, as well. Gun control has been around as an issue much longer than gay marriage, and public opinion on it has waxed and waned – with support often spiking after a high-profile shooting, only to fall again. Moreover, the long-term trend on gun control, unlike gay marriage, has been a rise in opposition. As recently as April, the Pew Research Center put out a report noting the divergent trends on the two issues, noting that "on gun control, Americans have become more conservative; on gay marriage, Americans have become more liberal."

Still, gun-control proponents including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have been arguing vociferously that the issue is not nearly the political loser that Democrats have for years assumed it to be. And the dramatic change that's been occurring when it comes to public opinion on gay marriage – pulling politicians along with it – offers an intriguing model as to where the politics surrounding the gun issue could potentially be headed.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2013/0117/Could-gun-control-be-the-new-gay-marriage

[Straw Man]

1. There is a fundamental difference.

Gay marriage is about recognizing rights. Gun control is about restricting them.

[Glaug-Eldare]

2. I don't see it.

One's a steady increase in respect for human equality, and the other is an ephemeral desire to make rights as unequal as possible.

[jeepnstein]

4. Couldn't agree more.

We are being told daily that we should champion the rights of only people the media finds favor with. I have issues with that.

[Eleanors38]

3. No.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

5. Despite what...

...some on the control side say on occasion, I know of no one trying to marry their firearm.

[DanTex]

6. If we get more Wayne LaPierre speeches, it could be.

The hardcore supporters of gun rights are almost universally right-wing crazies. And centrists and non-fanatic gun owners will be turned off by the apocalyptic looniness coming from the NRA. Particularly when it comes to things like universal background checks, which are supported by 80% of the population. Even for the assault weapons ban, a recent poll showed that the only demographic which opposes it is white males without a college education.

The issue could easily become a big winner for the Dems, if we can force the Republicans to go on TV and explain why "freedom" requires people to be able to buy AR-15s without a background check.