Liberals Own Guns Too – The Rise of Liberal Gun Shops
The recent election of Donald Trump has had a few surprising effects on gun owners, and those who sell guns. As we reported, in general gun sales have dropped significantly since the election. However, gun stores and clubs that cater mainly to black and LGBT communities have seen a rise in interest.
This has focused attention on a group of gun owners who are not often talked about – liberals. It is a little reported fact that many in the US are pro-immigrant, supported Bernie Saunders or Hillary at the last election, and also believe fervently in the Second Amendment.
Get Great Guns and Ammo Deals!
Though they are rare, the kind of gun shop that caters to this demographic is far from the stereotyped establishment. Many liberal firearm enthusiasts are uncomfortable in your average gun shop. Often, these stores prominently display right wing posters, stickers, and other messages, and many disagree with the implicit (or explicit) Islamophobic, xenophobic, or otherwise extreme nature of these environments.
Accordingly, a growing number of “liberal gun stores” are appearing in the US. These stores cater to a often overlooked demographic.
These stores are not anomalies. Membership in the “Liberal Gun Club” has increased 10 per cent since the election, and other clubs catering to traditionally liberal groups have also seen rises in membership. “Liberal Gun Owners”, a group on Reddit, has been going for four years now, has close to 7,000 subscribers, and has a thread dedicated to helping users find liberal gun stores.
This shift is part of a broader transformation in consumption habits. Consumers nowadays are increasingly aware of the moral, political, and ethical values of the companies they buy from. Accordingly, they want to buy products from manufacturers and stores that embody values they agree with. Many liberals are unhappy supporting shops that prominently display their right wing credentials.
Stores which sell firearms or popular air rifles are at the sharp end of this shift. Guns are inherently political, with debates about gun control some of the most divisive in the country.
Republicans and independents are much more likely to have a gun in their homes than Democrats. A full 41 per cent of conservatives report having a gun in their home, as opposed to just 23 per cent of liberals, according to the Pew Research Center.
That doesn’t mean, however, that lefties are not armed. Bernie Saunders, a ferociously left-leaning Senator for Vermont, is pro-gun, to a degree. He has campaigned against the federally-imposed waiting period for handguns, and is in favor of limited protections for gun makers. On the other hand, he promotes the idea that assault style weapons should be banned, and opposes the gun show loophole on background checks. It is no surprise, therefore, that the NRA is fervently opposed to his policies.
Still, many who support Bernie, and other liberal politicians, are also proud gun owners. In the coming years, expect to see an increase in “liberal gun shops”.
For more Gun News and Information. Please visit https://gunnewsdaily.com
Just a nice guns to have for a great hunting.
Several generations of men in my family have served in the US Military, and we lost a wonderful cousin in Vietnam. My family has had several iterations of law enforcers, as well as sport hunters. Still does. I am not against guns, but I am concerned with the promotion of murder, such as your shirt
“if you can read this, you are in range.” This promotes gun violence, normalizing deadly force, and for the uninformed and untrained, it is clearly advocating killing people. People. Husbands and fathers, moms, grammas… killing is somehow a reasonable option. I don’t own a gun, especially for self protection, because I am simply not suited to it. I would be that dumb lady who shot the Fuller brush man (ok, add “old” lady) while trying to intimidate a masked intruder. I am not great under pressure. I could certainly improve, with training , though. My point is that, as clever as your, and other’s, products are, maybe you should give pause, and consider just who you intend to kill with all the weaponry and armaments. I don’t want to die by a gunshot, any more than you do. Promote education, gun safety, de-escalation, protection, but don’t make it appear funny to have a gun pointed at someone. Guns are serious business, as you well know.
As to the liberals own guns too, article, thank you for an informative article, and kudos for avoiding the potential value judgements. That alone raises your credibility. Thanks, Just to be clear, I am a liberal, but do Not assume you know how I feel, or what exactly I believe in. And I am not against most guns. Nobody is going to take away gun ownership in the US. So much energy is going into conflating that perceived threat, that it is creating a crisis of fear, anger, and division, seemingly as a rallying cry, rather than as a concern, or an issue that needs consideration. Crazy angry gun toting people do not promote gun responsible ownership. They elicit fear, revulsion, and derision. Probably not particularly helpful in the long run. PS: If civil war breaks out, nothing will be left of our once proud country. Hell, we haven’t gotten over the bloody, painful, devastating, and ugly original civil war. Another one? I’d say “shoot me first”, but actually, no. Don’t.
I am glad you wrote about this, to a degree- there are a lot of us straight-blue voters who are pro-firearm and pro-self-defense.
That being said, I wish you would have talked a bit about where these shops may be or where we may acquire a catalogue for them. I’d rather minimize the risk of supporting right wingers if/when I make a purchase from a firearm company.
I have come back to this article. It just has a calling.
I would be very interested if you could consider following up by actually sharing some potential candidates for those of us who want to acquaint ourselves with self-defense devices but don’t want to give money to right-wingers.