Attn: Democrats

[memphis]

Stop using the phrase, gun control. Instead, use gun safety laws. Not that complicated. That is all.

[Politico]

The proper advice: Stop talking about guns or risk incurring huge losses in 2014.

[Holmes]

It's always best to get real change that would help people done and risk losses, than to have power and never use it at all. We're not all Mr. Phips here.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Gun safety laws sounds like something relating to the safe use of guns.  That's mostly not what's being proposed, and people will see through it.

[Beet]

Gun control sounds like someone from the government is going to put their hands on your gun and "control" it. That's not what's being proposed either.

I prefer gun regulations myself, although to be frank gun safety laws don't seem as far out as gun control.

[fezzyfestoon]

Attn: Americans

Stop focusing so much attention on words. They only mean what we say they mean. You're just playing into the political game of distraction. America loses when we play into the stupid games our politicians prefer to play as opposed to performing their basic functions.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Gun safety laws sounds like something relating to the safe use of guns.  That's mostly not what's being proposed, and people will see through it.

You'd be surprised. People fell for the "death tax" and "job creators" easily enough, after all.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Attn: Americans

Stop focusing so much attention on words. They only mean what we say they mean. You're just playing into the political game of distraction. America loses when we play into the stupid games our politicians prefer to play as opposed to performing their basic functions.

[DrScholl]

It doesn't matter what the word is, it's about policy. Playing word games doesn't change anything.

[Blue3]

I like "reducing gun violence"

It doesn't matter what the word is, it's about policy. Playing word games doesn't change anything.

Perception is always key

[Donerail]

I like "reducing gun violence"

So the Dems would be lying when they push stuff like the AWB?

[badgate]

Gun safety laws sounds like something relating to the safe use of guns.  That's mostly not what's being proposed, and people will see through it.

Really? To me it sounds like a law that will make all Americans safer from guns.

[memphis]

It doesn't matter what the word is, it's about policy. Playing word games doesn't change anything.

Playing word games is what allows you to pass policy. We're not a nation of Vulcans. We're deeply accustomed to everything being marketed. So much so that most people can't tell a good deal from a bad deal. Just put the word smart in front of anything and people will buy it. The Republicans think they can sell anything to the public so long as they advertise it well. And the Democrats think they can sell anything as long as they produce policy that is beneficial to most people. And the Republicans almost always win.

[LiberalJunkie]

Don't think the Democrats are having a problem selling it so there's no point in changing how you say it.

[memphis]

Don't think the Democrats are having a problem selling it so there's no point in changing how you say it.

You think new gun laws will pass easily?

[DemPGH]

Gotcha. I actually prefer, solutions for reducing harm from high-velocity projectiles.

Seriously, you are right in implying that semantics play an important part in how the public not only receives, but processes a concept. The Right in recent years has really mastered this with "right to work" and "big government" and their various uses of the word "freedom" to actually mean less freedom or less mobility. But I'm not sure the really pro-gun segment of the public will change sides as a result of calling them "gun safety laws."

What needs to happen, IMO, is reasonable people need to keep harping on how absurd it is to have the "gun show loophole," limited background checks, and assault weapons on the market. The GOP who will not agree to ending or curbing any of the above needs to be made to look extreme.

[memphis]

We don't need to convince the pro-gun crowd. They already have the minds made up. We need to go after the forever undecided moderate hero 20% of the population. Gun safety laws will play a lot better to them than gun control, which sounds more authoritarian. You can hear their wheels turning: Who could be opposed to gun safety?

[LiberalJunkie]

Don't think the Democrats are having a problem selling it so there's no point in changing how you say it.

You think new gun laws will pass easily?

Nope...but they are selling it good to the American people as polls show. Even if you changed the name of the law you wouldn't change the mind of Republicans when it has Obama's endorsement.

[Politico]

We don't need to convince the pro-gun crowd. They already have the minds made up. We need to go after the forever undecided moderate hero 20% of the population. Gun safety laws will play a lot better to them than gun control, which sounds more authoritarian. You can hear their wheels turning: Who could be opposed to gun safety?

Those who realize that "gun safety" and "gun control" are one and the same (i.e., restrictions on gun rights)?

Moderate and conservative Democrats are going to be crushed in 2014 if the liberal wing of the Democratic Party gets their way on guns. Give it enough time, and this always happens one way or another, I guess.

[memphis]

We don't need to convince the pro-gun crowd. They already have the minds made up. We need to go after the forever undecided moderate hero 20% of the population. Gun safety laws will play a lot better to them than gun control, which sounds more authoritarian. You can hear their wheels turning: Who could be opposed to gun safety?

Those who realize that "gun safety" and "gun control" are one and the same (i.e., restrictions on gun rights)?

Moderate and conservative Democrats are going to be crushed in 2014 if the liberal wing of the Democratic Party gets their way on guns. Give it enough time, and this always happens one way or another, I guess.

With an effective marketing campaign (something the Dems have not had since the 1960s), gun safety laws could be very popular. Indeed, it would be the Republicans who would face serious blowback for resisting, especially in those potentially dummymandered seats in PA and MI. There aren't that many "conservative Democrats" left anyway.

[dead0man]

If you really want to get somewhere, lose the fear and ignorance that is so freaking pervasive on the gun control ...errrr, gun "safety" side of this issue.  Stop going after rifles (assault or otherwise) as they don't kill very many people.  Sure, go for the background checks, go for the gun show loop hole closing, learn about straw purchases as that's where a lot of the guns bad guys use come from and I almost never see it brough up by your side, start going after criminals who try to get guns the legal way but fail to...but going after scary looking guns is stupid.  Scary looking guns are almost never used in crime.  You do your side a disservice when you bitch about assault weapons (and you look like a moron when you say assault rifles should be banned).

[Franzl]

If you really want to get somewhere, lose the fear and ignorance that is so freaking pervasive on the gun control ...errrr, gun "safety" side of this issue.  Stop going after rifles (assault or otherwise) as they don't kill very many people.  Sure, go for the background checks, go for the gun show loop hole closing, learn about straw purchases as that's where a lot of the guns bad guys use come from and I almost never see it brough up by your side, start going after criminals who try to get guns the legal way but fail to...but going after scary looking guns is stupid.  Scary looking guns are almost never used in crime.  You do your side a disservice when you bitch about assault weapons (and you look like a moron when you say assault rifles should be banned).

Do you seriously think a clear line can be drawn between "good guys" and "bad guys"?

[dead0man]

Yes, quite easily.  It's already drawn for us.  A "bad guy" is someone who commits a violent crime, a "good guy" doesn't.  "bad guy"s, people that have or will use violence to commit a crime, get a lot of their guns through straw purchases (because they are "bad guys" and know they can't get them the normal way).  Going after those makes a million times more sense than going after "scary looking guns".

If that's the only problem you had with my post, perhaps I'm making some progress.

[hawkeye59]

We don't need to convince the pro-gun crowd. They already have the minds made up. We need to go after the forever undecided moderate hero 20% of the population. Gun safety laws will play a lot better to them than gun control, which sounds more authoritarian. You can hear their wheels turning: Who could be opposed to gun safety?

Those who realize that "gun safety" and "gun control" are one and the same (i.e., restrictions on gun rights)?

Moderate and conservative Democrats are going to be crushed in 2014 if the liberal wing of the Democratic Party gets their way on guns. Give it enough time, and this always happens one way or another, I guess.

Just like Mitt Romney crushed Obama?

[Franzl]

Yes, quite easily.  It's already drawn for us.  A "bad guy" is someone who commits a violent crime, a "good guy" doesn't.  "bad guy"s, people that have or will use violence to commit a crime, get a lot of their guns through straw purchases (because they are "bad guys" and know they can't get them the normal way).  Going after those makes a million times more sense than going after "scary looking guns".

If that's the only problem you had with my post, perhaps I'm making some progress.

What if someone is a "good guy", armes himself to the teeth because he can, and then becomes a "bad guy"?