The anti-gun group Giffords has launched a “gun safety” organization it hopes will challenge the National Rifle Association and attract gun owners to its cause.
Leaders of the group, dubbed Gun Owners for Safety, believe they can tap into the gun owners who support the Second Amendment but also want to restrict Second Amendment rights.
“For years, the gun lobby has spread the myth that we face a binary choice: guns everywhere, or no guns at all. That’s not true,” GOFS says on its website. “Patriots of every stripe can agree that the Second Amendment goes hand-in-hand with commonsense measures like universal background checks. That’s what we’re about—bringing together unlikely allies to speak out for safety and responsibility.”
Gun Owners for Safety seeks to bridge the gap between the left and the right, according to Giffords Executive Director Peter Ambler.
“I think whether you’re talking about politics, whether you’re talking about lobbying, whether you’re talking about culture change, what’s vitally important is that we focus on the millions of Americans at the center of our politics,” Ambler told The Hill. “If we’re going to have long-term durable change in this country, it can’t just be the activists on the left and the activists on the right. We really have to move the center.”
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Ambler and his team are hoping to take advantage of the weakened state of the National Rifle Association to encourage gun owners to support more gun control laws, especially universal background checks.
Organizers claim to have found nearly 50,000 gun owners in all 50 states “who are fed up with the NRA,” Ambler said.
“Put your foot in the shoes of an American gun owner, do you want to be part of the NRA, which is embroiled in legal and ethical controversy?” Ambler asked. “The NRA wants you to believe that you can’t have your Second Amendment and pursue laws like … universal background checks.”
“These men and women were eager, at a time when our values of our country are being debated, to raise their hand and show politicians, show the country, that the vast majority of gun owners support safer gun laws,” Ambler continued.
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It’s unclear whether a majority of gun owners actually support universal background checks. Most surveys of gun owners ask whether respondents support background checks for all gun purchases. High percentages of American gun owners say they do, but many don’t realize the consequences of their agreement. If the question were phrased to highlight the fact that universal background check laws outlaw private sales – sometimes even between family members – the numbers would look much different.
It remains to be seen whether Gun Owners for Safety will gain traction. While their website claims to “take Second Amendment rights seriously,” it also includes an article titled “The Good Guy with a Gun Myth.” This piece argues against gun ownership for self-defense, which the Supreme Court ruled in Heller is a key component of Second Amendment rights.
So they have 50k, the NRA has millions, and there are over 100M gun owners in America. Most of them seem to understand the words “shall not be infringed”, I guess 50K can be dumb enough not to.
Divide and conquer..Enuff said
Another “progressive” scheme to take away your guns. Vote for nothing but “R” when you vote (unless they are a RINO). Gun registration = eventual confiscation if they ever get into power again. Learn from history before THEY eliminate it.
The primary issue these gun grabbers never grasp is that; “one small step towards gun “safety” is one giant leap to gun control”. They never take small steps and will never stop! Also, those who cross that path into the wolf’s lair, only work against those who hold the line and support the larger cause.
They seem to even believe their own lies and bullshit! Just another gun grabber group. They can all go to hell.
“Shall not be infringed!”
I wonder how many of those 50,000 members are your typical anti-gun Democrats who don’t really own a gun or, at most, have some family hand-me-down that they wouldn’t know how to load and fire.
What Giffords doesn’t want to talk about is that most of the dissatisfaction with the NRA that gun owners have is based on the NRA (read Wayne LaPierre) insistence on compromising our gun rights away, via such measures as the 1986 Hughes Amendment and promoting an illegal ATF ban on bump stocks. Not to mention Wayne and his cabal using the NRA like Joe Biden uses foreign policy connections.
Rollin L, please provide your best evidence where the NRA was “promoting an illegal ATF ban on bump stocks.” My recollection is different in the key respect that the NRA never called for a ban on the bump stock. You must have the supporting proof for your statement at hand.
As I recall, Trump was pursuing a ban on the bump stock after the shooting in Las Vegas. The Democrats would NOT support bipartisan solution, they wanted the issue to linger. Trump was considering an executive order and that is where the NRA urged the President to NOT proceed in that manner. If Trump insisted on seeking a “ban” of the bump stock the NRA advised that he proceed through BATFE. This required that the BATFE rescinding their approval of the devise. Instead, the BATFE stood their ground until the Justice Department exercised their authority over the bureau.
If you are correct and I am wrong then it should be simple for you to provide the quotes and sources that support your allegation that the NRA was “promoting an illegal ATF ban on bump stocks.” I believe that the political circumstances were more complicated than your over simplified versions of events.
Also, explain what the NRA should have done under the circumstances? Maybe you think the NRA should have denounced Trump and doubled down on the bump stocks? Maybe undermining Trump and fighting for the bump stock would have been the way to go, right?
GOFS…is this organization referred to as Goofs in casual conversation? Are the members known as Goofies? Please clarify.
Never trust anyone that sides with the New Democrat socialist party With their a motto “ The end justifies the means “ Is like the WW2 German Socialist party that used to say to the people at Auschwitz “ The showers are this way “ and Hitlers German socialist party Joseph Goebbels Saying “ If you tell a lie long enough people will believe it “.
So, a woman backing the Democrat Party and it’s POTUS candidate Biden speaks to an organization being “embroiled” in “ethical’ controversy?!?!?!?
ANY “ethical” controversy the NRA may be embroiled in pales in comparison to Biden’s money schemes and his past status as V.P. of an administration that was involved in ‘Fast and Furious’ and who knows what other Unconstitutional activities !!!
This is a clear case of sympathy for the Devil, and any gun owner who backs this nonsense is a fool of massive proportions.
“Gun owners who believe in the second Amendment but also want to restrict the Second Amendment”? WTF??!! Sadly I know who they are talking about. I think they mean the rich, elitist coasties like where I live in maryland. They ha e their $15,000 shotguns, live in their $5,000 000 palatial estates and visit their $2,000,000 second homes on the Eastern shore to go water fowling. These people do have guns but rest assured they do not believe in our right to have any. They also believe if it is anything other than a shotgun, or maybe a bolt gun nobody should have it. They dont give a rat’s ass about people like us. They’re stuck up, self centered, belligerent, elitist assholes.
Well said Bill. If it fits their wants and needs, fine. The rest of us, well too bad.
Let’s hope this movement doesn’t get off the ground.
She and her traitor husband need to go away
Hahahaaaa. So you made up a 50k number and now gun grabbing becomes gun safety. Riiiight.
Yeah, right. The NRA definitely needs a clean-up, but any organization founded by gun-grabbers is not the answer.
This defies comprehension. Nobody is that stupid. Giffords is more likely to succeed in starting a Jews for Hitler organization than her current project, but that’s not really the point. It’s just another case of someone using some of mini-Mike’s money to roll out a few more yards of AstroTurf to make some propaganda noise. Yawn….
You’d be surprised. Government run schools have not taught critical thinking skills for almost 2 generations. There are plenty of fools that will fall for this.
Voters in AZ better play close attention to the fox in sheep’s clothing currently running for Senate
fox guarding the hen house?
Universal background checks? sounds like a registration to me. no thanks. I do not agree with the NRA 100% of the time but if you don’t like the NRA, join the 2nd amendment foundation of the NSSF
Bwah ha hahahahaha