Indicating less than 1% of likely VA gun owners bothered to show up today
I think you are looking at this bass-ackwards. Rather than denigrating VA gun owners for failing to show up, I think you ought to be celebrating the fact that nearly 1% were ABLE and willing to show up.
Lots of people support the cause but have lives where they are unable to take time off work, leave friends and family and travel across the state or the country to stand around for a few hours where some myopic politician can physically SEE them.
(and without compensation for their expenses, either)
There's no wacked billionaires providing busses and refreshments on our side. A lot of us just don't have the deep enough pockets to pay our own expenses even if we had the time, which many (possibly that "vast majority" spoken of) do not.
Doesn't mean we don't care, or necessarily that we are lazy and apathetic if we cannot meet your arbitrary standards.
Ever hear of the 1-10-100 idea? Probably not, it predates the Internet, and most of the "modern era". It's a rough rule of thumb that used to be used by newspaper editors, and political staffs, and such people who were involved in listening to public opinions. Back in the days when it took more effort to send a message than just a few minutes banging on the keyboard and then hitting "send".
They figured that for every person who actually took the time and effort to write a letter (the 1) there were at least 10 people who felt exactly the same and didn't "bother" to write, and a 100 that agreed in general.
I think tis wonderful that there were "25,000" people who spent their own time and money to show up on a Monday, a holiday for many, in JANUARY in a place that isn't sunny and warm in January, just to give a visible showing of their opinions and displeasure with the proposed laws.
and, as to this...
Originally Posted by bn12gg
Eh, the above is a bunch of NRA noise. It's time to keep guns out of the hands of nut cases. Universal background checks need to be put in place.
its already proven that existing background checks don't keep guns from nut cases, more of the same would be no different.
Perhaps its time for a different approach. Instead of trying to keep guns from the nut cases, why don't we work on keeping the nut cases from guns (and everything else they can use to harm themselves or others) ???
I don't think we could do a worse job taking that approach. On the other hand, it would cost more, so I doubt many would support it.