The Second Amendment Foundation has suddenly realized the public relations fiasco that was their original plan to celebrate “Guns Save Lives Day” on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre was a public relations nightmare, and moved the date:

Heeding a public outcry, the organizers for “Guns Save Lives” Day are moving the day from Dec.14 — the anniversary for the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School — to Dec. 15, and asking that gun control advocates join them in refraining from politicizing the anniversary.

A group of gun rights organizations, led by the Washington state-based Second Amendment Foundation, organized the day to promote the importance of gun rights.

Alan Gottlieb, the SAF’s president, said the group originally deliberated between Dec. 14 and Dec. 15, which is Bill of Rights Day.

Gottlieb said they decided to celebrate the day on Dec. 14 to combat the anticipated push for stricter gun control laws in light of the anniversary. When the group announced Dec. 14 as “Guns Save Lives” Day last week they were met with a national wave of outrage from Newtown residents and activists.

Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodra asked the organizers to pick another day, and the group announced Monday that the day would be moved to Dec. 15. Buzzfeed first reported the change Monday afternoon.

“We will not politicize the day and we hope they will not politicize and push their anti-civil rights agenda on the 14th,” Gottlieb said. “We’re going to show that we are sensitive.”

Gottlieb said he would expect the media to hold stricter gun control activists accountable for not politicizing the day.

I think he suckered the media… and I’m guilty of falling for it as well, though I should have known better.

Gottlieb is a very smart guy who has arguably done more for gun rights in this nation that the NRA-ILA, and has done it quietly. I suspect that he chose December 14 knowing it would gin up outrage, simply so that he could poison the well towards any gun control activism on that day.

That way, when Moms Demand Action and the other over-emotional (and slow-witted) gun control groups attempt to hijack the day, he can claim the moral high-ground and also get the last word in, since “Guns Saves Lives Day” will be held the following day, giving guns rights groups the last word.