On February 13, The Economist (TE) ran a column showing that shooting guns is “a thrill” and suggested the gun control movement is hurting because most people pushing gun control do not understand how enjoyable shooting guns can be.
The column is not a pro-gun piece by any stretch. Rather, it is an attempt to reinvigorate the gun control movement by urging its supporters to put new faces on its leadership and try again.
According to TE, people like Michael Bloomberg, who talk incessantly about gun control but have little to no gun experience, can hurt the movement more than they help it. While not laying the blame for the gun control movement’s failures solely at Bloomberg’s feet, TE does “wonder whether [his lack of shooting experience] is one of the problems.”
And TE points out that Bloomberg’s use of armed security opens the door to other problems, in that it provides the NRA–an “extremely nasty organization”–with fodder that was used to run an ad calling Bloomberg a “hypocrite.”
TE explains that we need not pay attention to the ad because the NRA is bought and paid for with “the money of gun manufacturers.” But the ad highlights “problems” in the gun control movement nonetheless.
In the end, TE thinks the gun control movement simply needs some gun enthusiasts to regain momentum; just “a few advocates who are a little more visibly familiar with the sheer fun of holding a pistol and pulling the trigger.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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