Statistically, two groups are far more likely to become the victims of a violent attack than any other. Those groups are minorities and women.
Minorities represent a disproportionally high percentage of those killed in homicides while women make far more likely targets for robbery and other horrible things. As a result, these are two groups that probably should at least consider lawfully carrying a firearm.
In fact, they’re not being targeted with gun industry marketing, and some on the gun control side think it’s a bad thing.
The leader of a gun-control group decried efforts to sell firearms to minorities and women as “incredibly dangerous” on Monday.
“Gun makers are softening their image to ‘put a better face in front of people’ & ‘ramp up its appeal to women, children and members of minority groups,’” Igor Volsky, executive director of gun-control activist group Guns Down America, said in a tweet. Volsky, who is also a former vice president of the Center for American Progress, was commenting on a New York Times story about firearms marketing.
“That’s right,” Volsky continued. “Gun makers are increasingly advertising to WOMEN, CHILDREN & MINORITY COMMUNITIES. Firearm industry realizes that to survive into the future it must ‘broaden its reach beyond the aging white men who have been its core customers’—and so they’re now trying to sell their products to other demographics. This is incredibly dangerous.”
Of course, Volsky doesn’t explain just why that’s incredibly dangerous. After all, as previously noted, women and minorities are far more likely to become the victims of violent crime, thus those who would benefit most from having firearms.
Further, marketing has little to no impact on the criminal use of firearms since most crooks aren’t shopping for guns based on marketing.
Unless, of course, Volsky means something else.
Many took his comments to be a slam on women and minorities; as if they simply can’t be trusted with firearms. To be fair, I certainly can see that point. However, I think Volsky means something else entirely.
No, the idea of broadening the appeal of firearms beyond “aging white men” is dangerous…for gun control groups like Volsky’s. First, if women and minorities become part of the gun community, they may well learn that the media hype of how gun buffs are a bunch of racist rednecks is nothing but fake news. They may well find a welcoming group willing to accept any and all who enjoy firearms.
Further, gun owners tend to oppose gun control measures. Minorities and women joining those ranks cuts into key demographics that gun control groups rely on for support.
You see, more women and minorities joining our ranks actually is incredibly dangerous in Volsky’s mind because he may well end up without a job. It’s dangerous to other gun control groups because they may not survive if more and more people embrace gun ownership and turn their back on the gun-grabbing organizations.
If that happens, it becomes harder to push for gun control in general. Democrats who are currently chomping at the bit to pass anti-gun laws would lose a lot of that enthusiasm as those key demographics embrace gun rights. Without Democratic lawmakers on their side, what happens for Volsky and company? Nothing. Nothing at all.
So yeah, it’s incredibly dangerous, but not in the way Volsky wants people to think.
