The "Turn in Your Neighbor" threat really gives me something to consider. I think of a neighbor who has a couple of daughters, one just out of college, the other who just started. The older one often goes to shoot skeet with her father, and has told me she wants to get a CHL. Her mother once made a passing comment to me however that I think illiustrates part of our problem. It was something along the lines of "We shoot skeet...but we're not one of those HANDGUN type families." Uh, that would be me and my family, across the street.
That's an attitude that is too pervasive. There are approximately 80mm gun owners, yet many believe there is (or should be) some type of class distinction among gun owners. In other words, the civilized citizenry own longguns, the rabble-rousing-militia types own handguns. I'm sure by now most here have seen the NRA film on the loss of gun owner rights in England, New Zealand, and Canada. It started the same way.
Another very basic problem that once corrected, would help our cause is NRA membership. With 80mm gun owners, how come we have (on a good day) maybe 4mm NRA members? Here again , many gun owners see us as part of the problem-we're the extremists, not willing to give up our dangerous "black rifles". Yeah, like their over and unders will be any safer when the dust settles.
Politics notwithstanding, I have to believe the one single event that will shape the 2nd Amendment discussion for years to come, will be the way our government's "war on terrorism" is prosecuted. For being a decorated Marine combat veteran, Tom Ridge is not someone we can take for granted as a supporter. You would think someone in the position of Director of Homeland Security would see the benefit to his country of an armed population (I wonder if he has a counterpart in Israel?), but unfortunately, I don't think Mr. Ridge sees it that way.
geegee