The Culture War Against Guns

It was no surprise that following the recent tragic school shooting in Connecticut, the government immediately starting blaming guns. The first victims hadn’t even been buried yet, and Dianne Feinstein was already talking about renewing the so-called “Assault Weapons” Ban.

This is nothing new. Democrats have always been openly for more gun control (when they dared), and Republicans aren’t that far behind them in my opinion. While disgusting, this was expected. But it’s not just politicians…

The further we get from the American Revolution, the more taboo guns become in our society. This assault on guns and gun culture comes not just from our elected officials, but seemingly from every direction including the media, Hollywood, and corporations.

Here are but a few examples.

Elected Officials

As mentioned, Dianne Feinstein is set to introduce a renewal of the “Assault Weapons” ban. She is extremely anti-gun, and yet did you know that she herself has a concealed carry permit?

[blockquote]Less than twenty years ago I was the target of a terrorist group. It was the New World Liberation Front. They blew up power stations and put a bomb at my home when my husband was dying of cancer. And the bomb didn’t detonate. […] I was very lucky. But, I thought of what might have happened. Later the same group shot out all the windows of my home. […] And, I know the sense of helplessness that people feel. I know the urge to arm yourself because that’s what I did. I was trained in firearms. I’d walk to the hospital when my husband was sick. I carried a concealed weapon. I made the determination that if somebody was going to try to take me out, I was going to take them with me.[/blockquote]

Media

The media’s assault on firearms and those who own them is so rampant and extreme that choosing a single example feels like I’m cheating you from feeling the full force of their heinous deceitfulness. Instead, I’ll chicken out and let Caleb choose for you. In his post he talks about a recent example from the Wall Street Journal, and discusses this very same topic.

Hollywood/Corporations

This is perhaps the biggest force we as gun owners face. People have long come to expect gun control talk from the government, and stupidity from the media. However when Hollywood gets involved, it goes from an assault to an all out culture war. The attacks and propaganda since the Sandy Hook shooting have been astounding. Here’s a few examples of what I’m talking about.

• NBC Sports Network Cancels “Gun Programming”, including a new show set to air called 3-Gun Nation.
• The Discovery channel canceled the hit show American Guns.
• Private equity firm Cerberus to sell its investment in Freedom Group, which owns Bushmaster.

Cerberus

But sadly, this is not just propaganda, but also a warning of things to come. You’ve probably heard the popular catchphrase “follow the money” – well that’s precisely what you should be doing in this instance. Why would Cerberus sell its investment in Freedom Group? From a financial perspective, it makes no sense at first glance. Freedom Group reported net sales of $677.3 million for the nine months that ended in September 2012, a 20 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

If you follow the money however, the answer becomes clear. Cerberus is simply managing risk, and following the Sandy Hook shooting, they see significant risk in Freedom Group’s ability to make money in the coming political climate.

There’s a culture war going on folks, and I fear we’re losing.