How Gun Violence Prevention (Finally) Became A Winning Political Platform

[billh58]

A David Axelrod tweet now carries the same authority as white smoke emanating from a Sistine Chapel Papal conclave. Last month Axelrod authoritatively declared a new piece of political conventional wisdom; Gun Violence Prevention is a winning political platform.

So ended over 20 years of collective strategic advice and mythmaking from lesser political consultants and former officeholders. A confident Axelrod, now a CNN Senior Political Commentator, among many post-Obama Administration roles, tweeted on the April 26th Democratic primary night that Democratic Presidential primary candidate Hillary Clinton had drawn significant advantage over competitor Bernie Sanders among voters concerned about gun policy. This, after reviewing statewide exit polling of Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania’s Democratic Presidential Primary voters.

Some may wonder just how many Americans had to die from gun shots before political consultants would pronounce it safe for campaigning candidates to make gun violence prevention a central part of their platforms. The answer sadly is thousands. Children. Wives. Sisters. Daughters. Parents. Sons. How many school shootings, one might ask have occurred since 1999s horrific Columbine High School shattered Littleton, Colorado and our country? Hundreds.

-Snip-

Many observers and activists have noticed over the years an “intensity gap” which described the contrast between the way right-wing gun rights supporters defended gun laws on ideological grounds while gun violence prevention activists framed the debate on practical ideas which should be tried and might work to reduce gun violence. Clearly the intensity of gun violence prevention activists has ramped up with their numbers and their determination to be heard by national and state politicians. At the very least, the 2016 election campaigns dramatically show that the political ground has shifted. Cue the white smoke.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-toltz/how-gun-violence-preventi_b_9996298.html

This quote from Ken Toltz (the author of the OP) sums up what many of us have observed:

"It’s not the repeated episodes of gun violence since 1999 however, which have toppled the conventional political wisdom; it is the sea change in citizen activism as a response to the continued mayhem over the past four years that has really made the difference."