Gun Thread (8-11-2013)

The Left's Emotional Anti-Gun Appeals Explained

James Taranto's column had a fascinating revelation about the left's anti-gun strategy this week.

Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner has uncovered a fascinating document: an 80-page "talking points" monograph titled "Preventing Gun Violence Through Effective Messaging," written by a trio of Democratic political operatives.

The document, as Bedard writes, instructs politicians and advocates "to hype high-profile gun incidents like the Florida slaying of Trayvon Martin to win support for new gun control laws." Essentially it's a how-to book on inciting a moral panic.

Taranto summed it up thusly:

The booklet explicitly urges foes of the Second Amendment to abjure rationality in favor of the argumentum ad passiones, or appeal to emotion. "When talking to broader audiences, we want to meet them where they are," the authors advise. "That means emphasizing emotion over policy prescriptions, keeping our facts and our case simple and direct, and avoiding arguments that leave people thinking they don't know enough about the topic to weigh in."

And they aren't even obvious about it or anything. Now pass me another high magazine clip.

Gun Crimes Plummet Even As Gun Sales Rise

The NSSF has a great new infographic that could be used to counter the left's anti-gun claims if they cared about facts or logic.

Gun Of The Week

(answer below)

Marksmanship Award

Gun Of The Week - Answer

Guns.com says that's either an AK-16 or an AR-47.

"Shall Issue" Comes To Alabama

Even in gun-friendly states, getting a concealed carry permit has frequently been a hit-or-miss proposition subject to the whims of local law enforcement officials. We never should have gone as far down the road of allowing prior restraint of a fundamental right like this, and it's good to see it being dialed back all over the country.

Tips

If there are topics you're interested in seeing in the gun thread, please send them to AoSHQGunThread at gmail. You can also send them to me on Twitter at @AndyM1911.

The owner's manual for your concealed carry permit: The Law of Self Defense

Defend the Second Amendment. Join: The National Rifle Association * Gun Owners of America * The National Shooting Sports Foundation * Your state's second amendment org.

Celebrate America's firearms heritage: participate in Project Appleseed.

posted by Andy at 12:52 PM

| Access Comments