(Photo: Everytown for Gun Safety)
Everytown for Gun Safety believes that 2018 was a “turning point in the fight for gun safety.”
The anti-gun group said as much in its annual year-in-review memo where it boasted about outspending the NRA, mobilizing voters and getting more than 1,000 “gun sense candidates” elected to office during the 2018 midterms.
“I think this was the year of gun safety and I think what’s so noteworthy is that Americans have now realized gun safety isn’t a right or left issue, but it’s a life or death issue,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown in an interview with the Washington Post.
“I think they showed that in the fact that voters sent a message at the midterms to their elected leaders, and the message boils down to: Pass laws to keep us safe,” he added.
By far the biggest success of the year for the group was turning over the House to the dark side, replacing as many as 15 NRA-“A”-rated Republicans with anti-gun Democrats, as the Wall Street Journal reported.
“The NRA lobbyists are like cockroaches. Just when you think you’ve gotten rid of all of them, you shine a flashlight and there they are,” Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety told NBC News.
“Several times demise of gun lobby has been predicted. We re-calibrate and shine a light on their dangerous agenda,” she continued.
SEE ALSO: California Lawmaker Wants to Tax Sale of All Handguns, Semiautomatics
The notion that 2018 was a landslide for anti-2A crusaders is completely laughable. All of the purported victories don’t hold up under the slightest bit of scrutiny. Look at ‘em one by one.
The House. Everyone knew the GOP was going to lose seats in the House, especially with the bombastic and somewhat divisive Trumpster in the Oval Office. This was a surprise to absolutely no one. What about the Senate, though? Many predicted that it too would slide to the Left following the midterms. But it didn’t. The upper chamber still belongs to a Republican, pro-gun majority.
Money. Yes. Everytown spent more than the NRA did for the first time in history. But that’s easy to do when the bulk of your revenue comes from Michael Bloomberg, the 11th richest person in the world. In fact, the real shock is that it took so long for this to happen. Given that Bloomberg has virtually unlimited resources we can expect this to be the new norm each election cycle.
From the Everytown report on the 2018 victories. (Photo: Everytown)
Grassroots Activism. While money matters, it’s not the end all be all. The NRA has something Everytown does not. Five million active and enthusiastic dues-paying members. It’s a grassroots base that Shannon Watts can only dream of, and it effectively neutralizes the pocketbook of that slimy New York billionaire. Those who doubt the political influence of NRA members should consult former presidential hopeful Al Gore or, more recently, that 2016 shoo-in “president-elect,” former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. No doubt that NRA members will turn out again in 2020.
SCOTUS. Funny but the name Brett Kavanaugh was omitted from the Everytown memo. For good reason. The appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was the biggest blow to the gun prohibitionist movement in decades. Since the Heller decision, really. The high court now has a firm 5-4 pro-gun majority for the foreseeable future. There is a very real possibility that this could spell the end of some of the cornerstone goals of the anti-gun lobby, mainly banning black rifles and expanding may-issue concealed carry laws.
What this means is that in the not-too-distant future every law-abiding citizen in the country could have access to modern sporting rifles and an unencumbered path to obtaining a concealed carry permit. This is a dream scenario for 2A supporters. For Everytown, not so much. And, as mentioned, it’s totally within the realm of possibility. We just need SCOTUS to take up cases examining these issues.
All this to say, don’t believe the reports in the mainstream media that Everytown is winning. They’re not. And, if you get caught up in a debate about 2018 being a watershed year for “gun safety,” just mention the name, “Brett Kavanaugh.” That’ll end the conversation right then and there.
Everytown sounds like they believe they are dedicated spiders ridding the outhouse of bugs. Truly nuts.
Get the names and addresses of the members of Everytown and publish them as “no gun” homes. The criminals will thank you.
The other topics that no one wants to talk about is who are thd individuals committing the majority of all shootings and that would be criminals and those with mental health issue. I’ve been a law abiding citizen for 60 years and owned guns since I was 14. Never been involved in any type of issue with a hand gun. These are the groups that gun activists should be going after. Stop protecting them
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?… The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin’s thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If…if…We didn’t love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation…. We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”
What a lovely woman Shannon Watts is, calling people cockroaches. Dehumanizing those who disagree with you leads to more violence. With people like Watts out there everybody should buy a gun.
To ALL you liberal scumbags, COME AND TAKE MY GUNS!!!!
DOPEY,DOPEY,AND MORE DOPEY
The roaches and vermin are the communists who campaign for an end to Americans natural right to bear arms. Their demands against gun rights are based on a lie. The vermin who claim they want to save lives claimed by guns are the same vermin who support abortion as a women’s right. Abortion is murder and far more babies are killed by abortion than are killed by guns.
The communist vermin want Americans disarmed to make it easier to take over the government and install a communist tyranny. The NRA are its members. And it’s members are conservative voters. And as conservative voters and gun owners we will never surrender our natural rights to anyone or any government. As Americans our gun rights are off limits to government control- or so says the constitution. Eventually there will be a day of a showdown, where Americans refuse unconstitutional gun laws. That showdown is marching closer.
I couldn’t agree more! Very well spoken
It’s getting pretty obvious that the extreme left wants a war over their pet projects. Yes, you did get some commies elected in the mid-terms, but you will have to come and take mine from me, but once on my property your trespassing and between my German sheperds, electronics, and me, well I would tell you heathens to make your piece with God, but you have just entered the road to hell. Who are your soldiers in this war? Snowflakes, women with pink hats, and every other freak Obama let out of the wood work, bring it on!!!
All you NRA traitors who helped the Russian NRA launder Russian money and sent it to the Russian Gutter Rat and the GOP, need to find another spokes Organization. A lot of the NRA employees will be going to jail. Not unless you Russian traitors come to their assistance. I know its hard to except the Truth, the Organization you are so in love with are traitors and spend your money to help the Russian cause.
Said no one except raving Ivy League Coast liars. The NRA laundering money to Russia? LOL. Who is the recipient of meager funds sent by the NRA? The NRA might launder some money for Las Vegas hookers for US Congressmen, but Russia’s civilian gun laws are based upon Czarist-era laws. You are hopelessly ignorant.
“I know its hard to except the Truth,” plus many other mistakes.
An educated liberal everyone.
And yet they haven’t pried one weapon out of my “3rd” generation of military, protecting their worthless axx hands, nor will they. Funny how long “MADD” has been around yet thousands of folks to include children have been killed and continue to die in drunk driving accidents. And how many folks die due to texting while driving. You can’t legislate “stupid” or “hate” out of existence. Come to think of it, seems really hard to vote it out also!
Ask the people of Australia how they feel about gun control, the figures are in and they don’t lie, violent crime is up 44 percent in a 12 month period, ask the people in Venezuela how disarmament is going for them? Show me a model where disarmament has ever worked in favor of the population!
Venezuela has a well-regulated people’s militia ( sound familiar? ) for use in case of a US-Columbia led invasion. Chavez mobilized the units just before he died from cancer. There was media coverage of this. NATO countries- especially the ones with US bases and a Wall Street lap dog elite inside of them- are the countries that are nearly disarmed.
The anti-gun liberals are just insane, plain and simple. It is said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and to expect a different result. Passing new laws is just that, insanity. Just enforce the laws we have now, and get crazy people off the street.
Their goal isn’t safety or reducing gun crime it is total disarmament. Once you are disarmed they own you.
“Pass laws to keep us safe…” This is the most dangerous statement that can be made in a free country.
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” — Ben Franklin
Ben summed it up perfectly.
What this means is that the sheeple will make more “Gun Free” zones, and more mass shootings will occur. Their Pied Piper is leading them over a cliff, and I think even Sung Young Moon would be proud at how Everytown has brainwashed them.
Let me make this plain, I will kill any mom, agent or democrat who comes to disarm me. I am retired police.
lol vaughan, I don’t own guns but I agree with you. We lose 1300 children under age 15 every year to un-necessary auto death. Where’s the rage over this. Children being cut down by texting drivers…..where is that rage?
A) No real police officer would say that
B) That will play nicely on the news story that covers your violent death or arrest.
C) You’re giving ammunition to the anti-cop movement when plenty of others who aren’t retired are trying to do the right and earn the public’s trust.
These people are unbelievable. Instead of trying to make stricter laws for the criminals They wanna blame everybody for the Guns. As we all know the upstanding American citizens are not the one committing the gun crimes . But yet they wanna treat us so. So i think its the anti gunners That are actually the cockroaches that keep coming back. Just saying
Better to be a “Cockroach” ( the real survivors of the world ) vs the “Rooster Suckers” that make up the gun control anti-Americans. We will defeat them either with logic and legislation or God forbid Civil War 2.0. Just a matter of time before these over educated under intelligent lunatics join the Dodo birds in extinction.
Your mouth to God’s ear.
Ignorance is not an excuse. Would someone educate me on the meaning of “common sense gun laws”, considering that there are already over 20,000+ laws already in existence. The National Rifle Association and other pro-firearms groups have often cited the 20,000 firearms laws that are already on the books as reasons why more enforcement, not more legislation, is the answer to curb firearm violence. It looks like \”common sense gun laws\” already exist for the law-abiding citizens that have chosen to exercise their second amendment rights. So why have the activists, politicians and alike, not set up protests, against the criminal firearm users, public mental health issues, along with the legal and illegal drug users? They use the words “common sense”, Yet they really have no idea the meaning of those words in their simplest form. The largest bell with the greatest empty space, when rung creates the loudest Clank!
Gun owners will have to ban together from all the States and march in these cities one at a time stopping traffic and disrupting business so our voice will be heard. It has to be large numbers like a million showing peaceful support for the second amendment in LA, Seattle, New York and any other city that is starting these ridiculous laws. We have to stop being quite and be heard.
So now I’m a deplorable cockroach. Wow, I should just kill myself and make the world a better place for these elites, but that would just add one more death to the ‘gun violence’ tally.
Again, promising that a new law will make you safer. Can you make robbery and murder more ‘illegaler’?
John Feinblatt, you call us cockroaches. Funny you should say that; I actually thought of you and yours on a lower scale–amoebic dysentery. Fortunately, that can be cured too. Time for you to find truth and proclaim it instead of the lies you are so fond of bandying about. Look to the facts of Detroit Michigan, whose mayor is advocating its citizens to take up arms and protect themselves from the rampant criminals that are trying to take over the city. Look to our various states who have ushered in open carry legislation and instead of Dodge City scenarios find only law abiding citizens calmly living with firearms at their side, ready to protect themselves and those around them, who would die to protect their own cities/counties/states from the likes of you. It is rapidly approaching time to apply antibiotics to your infection. Watch carefully your actions.
Shannon Watts, NOT John Feinblatt, called the NRA lobbyists cockroaches.
It IS very interesting that she spoke to having “gotten rid of all of them”, which also speaks to her rather obvious ideal that ONLY they should have a voice in Congress, as though those of us who are members of the NRA shouldn’t have.
That IS the mindset of these people folks, they WILL do ANYTHING to have their way, for them’ the ends justifies the means’.
And the silly woman doesn’t understand the slippery slope she advocates.
The best example of the blind leading the more blind! John Feinblatt, president of Everytown obviously hasn’t one single brain cell to even understand that No Law Has Ever Prevented a Crime! They are nothing but paid off shills for the bottom line which is Control!
Thanks for the article highlighting wishful thinking. Just further shows that those with angst have deluded thinking.
Guns have never been the problem. Poorly educated, self indulgent, moron idiots are the real problem. Might as well ban cars, they kill a lot more people than guns. Problem is, idiots drive them also. Education is the only way to stop gun violence. Gun safety and use should be taught in our schools. Criminals don’t obey laws. We need a better educational system. At present our educational system produces self indulgent idiots that have no real skills. We need less money spent on our military, more of our money spent on educating people, at all levels of education. We need big business out of the picture. The only reason we all pay outrageous prices for everything is, big business, the rich, using market manipulation. Money making rackets for the rich, big business, are healthcare, prisons, education, insurance, just to name a few. Trump wants to give them more of our money, take our benefits away. We need to fire Trump and his cohorts. They are not what America and our Democracy are about. They are disgraceful. We, The United States Taxpayers deserve better. It is our money. Wake up people. Vote.
You hit on a very key point we seldom even think about, Voting! When is the last time a person of the middle to lower class who would be ten times any of the so called candidates we end up having to vote for even ran for office? You can’t find them, why, MONEY, In order to have the money to run against all these elitist backed political hacks the money has to come, or be rich to begin with. They have rigged the system so that a person can only donate so much to each candidate and the middle class and lower class don’t usually have the money laying around to give and not enough would give. Just this midterm less than half of the registered voters voted and look where it got us! By the way we a Republic with democratic tendencies! “to the Republic for which we stand”
Pass “laws” to keep you safe lol? Ok, we’ll make murder illegal. Feel safer yet? Oh, right… And NRA people are like “cockroaches”? Really? Well we’re numerous because owning and training in rifles kinda dates back a few HUNDRED years in our history. In fact, it’s really what MADE our history. We indirectly made everything you see around you with firearms. It was conservative men and firearms that helped free us from the Brits and gain our independence, so we could continue to build what we have now. Without people and guns we would be just another limp wristed liberal colony of liberal England. Look at those guys over there. Ever been to England? Sure they’re 20 times our age, with “soo much more culture and history” and look at ’em; the place is fraught with laws and it’s STILL not any safer lol. I would NEVER want to live in England lol. And you libs want to turn us INTO England basically. Yea, screw that. If you want that shit so bad go move over there. Have fun.