Today hasn't been great for those of us who want to protect our Second Amendment rights. Even though guns weren't a major issue in many of the races where Democrats picked up momentum, the gun control lobby's candidates won a lot of races on Tuesday, and we're going to see the consequences of this year's elections play out in just a couple of months.
However, the National Shooting Sports Foundation noted something interesting that Everytown included in an email.
And I think we should talk about it.
The Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund has made an awkward admission just days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. In an Oct. 29 email urging supporters to volunteer, the billionaire Michael Bloomberg-backed gun control organization openly admits “one-in-ten of our supporters who registered to vote didn’t cast a ballot in recent elections.”
The same appeal boasts more than 13 million voter contacts this election cycle. But there is a difference between reaching voters and getting them to cast ballots. Political money can buy advertising and voter outreach. It cannot guarantee an election victory.
...Don’t confuse money with results, just ask Mayor Bloomberg himself who spent more than $1 billion dollars (that’s not a typo) on his failed presidential bid in 2020 that lasted just 104 days, according to Politico. It would be a mistake to dismiss Everytown’s political influence. Its state and local victories demonstrate why elections beyond the presidential contest matter, and its considerable financial resources can shape competitive races.
In Michigan, for example, a governor-appointed task force recommended bans on certain firearms and magazines, additional purchase restrictions and new licensing requirements for firearm retailers. Those proposals have not become law, but the state’s next elected officials will help determine whether similar restrictions advance.
Now, we know how the Michigan race turned out last night, and it's also not good news, but think about that "one-in-ten of [their] supporters" figure for a moment.
Those are people who are incredibly motivated by gun control politics, going so far as to sign up to Everytown's email list, and 10 percent of them don't even bother to cast a ballot.
It's worse when you look at people who are less enthralled with the idea of gun control.
Last night, a lot of gun control candidates won, but when you look at what mattered to voters, you didn't hear about guns that much. You heard about affordability, about gas prices, and about the cost of housing. You heard about a lot of things, but few were really that motivated about guns.
That's because while anti-gunners love to scream about the polls that supposedly show this broad support for their policies, the truth of the matter is that gun control has rarely motivated the average Democrat voter, much less the independents that walk among us.
Groups like Everytown spend a lot of money, but many of their ad buys don't even mention gun control, because they know good and well that most Americans aren't motivated by the issue, even if they favor restrictive measures.
But we are.
Gun rights advocates are far more likely to vote specifically over gun rights. It's something that matters a great deal.
The problem is that there just weren't enough of us yesterday. That's something we need to spend the next two years addressing and addressing seriously. I don't know about you, but I, personally, hate losing.