How The Old North State Feels About Gun Regulation

2 responses to “How The Old North State Feels About Gun Regulation”

1. dedc79 | March 19, 2013 at 11:33 am | Reply

   It seems like the trend in gun ownership is that fewer people are buying guns, but the ones that still are buying them are buying more guns. That may be one reason for the polling numbers. Also, you’re in a better position to talk about this than I am, but when i’ve been down to North Carolina recently, I’ve been struck by how many people living there now used to live in the Northeast or Midwest. I imagine they trend more democratic than republican.

   I’m happy to see such widespread support for these proposals, but it seems like an assault weapon ban isn’t happening regardless.

   • Pino | March 19, 2013 at 12:58 pm | Reply

     It seems like the trend in gun ownership is that fewer people are buying guns, but the ones that still are buying them are buying more guns.

     Agreed.

     I think that many more people used to own guns when hunting was more widely engaged in. Without looking at numbers, my feeling is that fewer and fewer folks hunt these days. And the folks that are “arming up” scare me. It seems they’re just looking for a fight.

     Also, you’re in a better position to talk about this than I am, but when i’ve been down to North Carolina recently, I’ve been struck by how many people living there now used to live in the Northeast or Midwest.

     Two trends, both of which have slowed since the recession but are pronounced.

     1. North Carolina actively recruits from the Midwest and northeast schools to staff our technology centers here in RTP and the finance stuff in Charlotte.

     2. Older retirees cashed out of their equity in their northeast homes and moved south. Some stopped in NC while others went to Florida, didn’t like it, and went “half back”.

     I imagine they trend more democratic than republican.

     True story. My mother-in-law lives in Brooklyn, old brownstone. I enjoy her land lady and even help move the heavy stuff she needs help with when I go to visit. She knows that I’m a transplant to NC from Minnesota and always asks how I enjoy Carolina. When I tell her I love it she always asks-always- “Is it true that the cost of living is so cheap?”

     Now, she is a hard core liberal democrat. Always going on and on with her politics, posting banners in her windows, stickers on her cars and passing out flyers in the building’s mailboxes.

     So, she knows that living in NYC is expensive, she continues to register her car in the state where her other house is –avoids NYC registration taxes AND lowers her insurance premiums– but if she were to move to Carolina, she would carry her democrat voting trends with her. I’ve always politely listened to her go on regarding her politics without ever hinting that I have deep feelings; respect for my mother-in-law, but jeepers, how I wanna scream at her that the reason NC is so inexpensive to live in is that we don’t vote like she does.

     😉

     I’m happy to see such widespread support for these proposals, but it seems like an assault weapon ban isn’t happening regardless.

     I don’t think that anyone would disagree that we don’t care if legal sane people owned guns; personally I don’t care of they assault weapons or not. What we WANT to do is keep guns out of the hands of folks who are a danger; criminals and mentally unstable folks. To that end, we need to focus the discussion away from restricting law abiding people and instead try to find out who is law abiding and who is a threat.

     And restrict THEM.