Poll: Do gun Forums really influence anyone?

[OLDNEWBIE]

Just wondering if all the political gun talk on these forums is a waste of time or not.

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[IronMonster]

It is totally a waste of time, we should already all be on the same side. 98% if folks on here are going to vote for the pro gun legislation or candidate and you are not changing the mind of the other 2%

Any political talk here is soap box grand standing, not debate. By definition debate happens between opposit views, we should all be pro gun here and if there where anti gun folks the only reason they would be is to find something to use against us.

 

[Martini_Up]

I vote but more and more are beginning to realize that I am not really being given much of a choice between the R and the D - they're the same basic color and only shades different.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

It is totally a waste of time, we should already all be on the same side. 98% if folks on here are going to vote for the pro gun legislation or candidate and you are not changing the mind of the other 2%

Any political talk here is soap box grand standing, not debate. By definition debate happens between opposit views, we should all be pro gun here and if there where anti gun folks the only reason they would be is to find something to use against us.

I guess that's a NO for you. I forgot to Vote but I would be a Yes.

My move out here to Oregon aprox. 10 years ago, coincided with my getting into shooting again.

I of course went online and cruised Forums and websites and quickly discovered our gun rights were in jeopardy and well, I am now "Political" with gun rights as a PRIORITY.

Before I was pretty flexible on how I Voted. I am starting to think like you that grandstanding/preaching to the choir is 98% of what goes on here. But 2% being maybe influenced???? It might be worth it I don't know.

 

[etrain16]

Forums are a place for discussion. I can't say whether anyone's mind was changed due to the discussions or not. I don't think I've ever been swayed. But what I have been is informed. I can't possibly keep up with all the different information floating around out there about our rights being under attack, but when you gather folks together in one place, you get the benefit of multiple sets of eyes on many different sources of info.

If you want to change someone's mind (which is remarkably difficult to do), I believe it has to be done in person, over time. I do believe it can be done, some more easily than others, but in the end, if the other person doesn't want to change, they won't. I will say that chatting on forums has sometimes helped me to see another side to certain discussions that I may not have considered, and that gets put into my overall thinking on that particular subject.

 

[Slobray]

The "Legal and Political" Forum is where I spend the most time reading. I'm not sure that it influences many (as has been said above), but I do think that it's a good place to find out the latest on attacks by the anti-freedom people. It's also a good place to get info on upcoming events/rallies/activism/legislators to contact/letters to write/email, etc.


Ray

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I voted NO, but I think your options are a bit restrictive. I always voted with gun issues in mind, but the forum helps me keep current on what's going on and helps me influence others to vote our way, including our legislators.

 

[Gator Monroe]

Over many years of battle with Far Left Trolls & Paid Democrat Web War Room spammers and rat packers and general left leaning calguns.net types who can't face the fact that 75% of elected Democrats on a State & National Level are anti-2A/RTKBA and 80 % of Elected Republicans on a State & National level are ardent 2A/RTKBA supporters I have determined that it is worth it .

 

[GunnyG]

I voted NO, but I think your options are a bit restrictive. I always voted with gun issues in mind, but the forum helps me keep current on what's going on and helps me influence others to vote our way, including our legislators.

That. These forums have also acted well as a rally point for like-minded activists, and are an excellent conduit for getting relevant news and political issues seen.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

I agree with you all that a forum like this is a good easy one stop place to get a lot of info on the latest gun grabbing law some yahoo is pushing and who to contact/complain to about it etc.

The sad and telling thing will be the total number of people who participate in this poll vs number of members on this Forum.
I imagine the total votes will be comparatively miniscule and probably cast by the same usual guys who post in the Legal & Political section all the time.

Does this mean the other 33,800 or so don't care or are blissfully unaware?

I guess more than a few probably Vote what they think is the best hope for their top priority (gun rights I hope) and call it done, hoping for the best and never writing their Reps or getting others involved. And that's O.K. ! I'm almost on the verge of joining them

But then I keep thinking of all those blissfully unaware types that own guns, shoot and don't vote at all.
And how things would be if they did.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

I voted NO, but I think your options are a bit restrictive. I always voted with gun issues in mind, but the forum helps me keep current on what's going on and helps me influence others to vote our way, including our legislators.

Your answer of NO would be the right choice for the purposes of this particular poll.

 

[Mark W.]

Yes they do I have bought at least four rifles, 2 shotguns, and 2 pistols I wouldn't have had it not been for this dang forum. I sir have been influenced.

As to the political crap. Since I was sitting at the reloading bench decapping -06 rounds in 1968 while my dad and his buddies used all the same arguments and did the complaining about the government we'all are doing now. No it hasn't changed my political slant one bit. I was raised 2nd Amendment Supporting.

 

[Gator Monroe]

Yes they do I have bought at least four rifles, 2 shotguns, and 2 pistols I wouldn't have had it not been for this dang forum. I sir have been influenced.

As to the political crap. Since I was sitting at the reloading bench decapping -06 rounds in 1968 while my dad and his buddies used all the same arguments and did the complaining about the government we'all are doing now. No it hasn't changed my political slant one bit. I was raised 2nd Amendment Supporting.

Only the options of second amendment supporting Political Parties has gone from two to one since 1968

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Only the options of second amendment supporting Political Parties has gone from two to one since 1968

With Republicans like John McCain it's gone to none.

 

[etrain16]

I agree with you all that a forum like this is a good easy one stop place to get a lot of info on the latest gun grabbing law some yahoo is pushing and who to contact/complain to about it etc.

The sad and telling thing will be the total number of people who participate in this poll vs number of members on this Forum.
I imagine the total votes will be comparatively miniscule and probably cast by the same usual guys who post in the Legal & Political section all the time.

Does this mean the other 33,800 or so don't care or are blissfully unaware?

I guess more than a few probably Vote what they think is the best hope for their top priority (gun rights I hope) and call it done, hoping for the best and never writing their Reps or getting others involved. And that's O.K. ! I'm almost on the verge of joining them

But then I keep thinking of all those blissfully unaware types that own guns, shoot and don't vote at all.
And how things would be if they did.

I belong to probably 10 different gun forums, but I'm only active on this one. I suspect many of those 33,000+ members are similar in that they may be active in some forums, but not others. For some, I think this forum is nothing more than a classified ad they check on a regular basis. For others, it's a more serious affair. I'm willing to bet many of those members will never even view this thread, much less participate.

The general apathy that the average voter has is pretty surprising to me. Many gun owners I've spoken to over the years just don't seem to care too much. They seem to take for granted that their rights can't or won't be taken away, so they go blissfully about their lives, believing that tomorrow will be no different than today. When I talk to them about the erosion of their rights, they say they really don't like to get involved in political things, it's just too controversial or they will simply vote party lines regardless of what that politician will do to them. And I'll say this, it's not limited to people on the left. I can identify plenty of apathetic, uninvolved conservative gun owners. Their lack of participation is just as responsible for the loss of our rights as those who vote for anti-gun politicians over and over again.

I really don't know the best way to wake people up to what's going on. But it's not just guns, it's a lot of issues that people just don't want to be bothered with. They would rather leave all that boring political stuff to the politicians that look pretty on the TV, so they can go about their lives, blissfully unaware that they're in the pot and the temperature is rising

 

[bakersman345]

I like the forum because it keeps me informed and pissed off.

Its a good way to kill time during commercials.

I like to hunt down good deals on the classifieds.

I like to get money for my firearms in the classifieds.

I like the feeling that there are other people out there that I can agree with

I like reading about peoples opinions on a gun in thinking about buying.

I enjoy reading about the proposed laws and ways to contact the people who are influencing and creating the good and the bad.

But no it has no effect on my voting

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Nope! I was pro 2A decades before I saw my first forum. I believe that the political value of forums is in the timely distribution of information. Besides I'm here for the fun, too!

 

[Koda]

I didn't vote because the poll doesn't reflect the subject line. I've always voted pro gun but since I've been using the forums there have been a few voting issues that input from the unlimited community has helped clarify some issues that on the surface seem like a good idea... such as safe storage laws. Not just voting issued but hot topic issues like open carry. Yes, forums do influence people and the discussion here is valuable.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

I like the forum because it keeps me informed and pissed off.

Same for me but thankfully also a few laughs caused by funny posts like that!

 

[U201491]

Just wondering if all the political gun talk on these forums is a waste of time or not.

Why would you even ask that question?
Curious.

One option that you needed to put on your survey.\

No, I have always voted in every election and have supported the 2nd Amendment and BOR all my life. Forums do not change that.

My guess is it would have been in the 60% to 80% range.