Gun Gap

[BDKJMU]

There's a political one (long read. Included the beginning of the article and some excerpts):

"USA TODAY survey: More Republicans in Congress own guns

WASHINGTON -- Republicans in Congress are much better armed than their Democratic counterparts — a fact that helps explain the deep partisan divide as Congress gears up for its first major votes on gun control in a decade.

One hundred nineteen Republicans and 46 Democrats declared themselves as gun owners in a USA TODAY survey of lawmakers.

There is no uniform public record of gun ownership by members of Congress, and it is not part of the information lawmakers are required to reveal in their annual financial disclosure forms. So USA TODAY and the Gannett Washington Bureau contacted every congressional office to ask: Does the lawmaker own a gun?

The results show a partisan — and regional — divide. Only 10% of Republicans who responded said they do not own a gun, while 66% of Democrats said they are not gun owners.

Michael Hammond, legislative counsel of Gun Owners of America, said he's not surprised. In Republican districts, a gun "is a campaign accoutrement," he said.

Plotted on a map, the survey results speak to the cultural chasm between those districts where guns are a talisman of individualism and those where guns are viewed more as a criminal tool. Only 12 lawmakers from the Northeast, including Pennsylvania, said they own firearms, while 77 Southerners said they do.

Congress' gun gap suggests that cultural factors are at least as important as the influence of the gun lobby in determining where members stand on President Obama's package of gun control proposals.

The gun gap

Some members were more than willing to give an inventory of their gun lockers..........

Others — overwhelmingly Southern Republicans — declined to answer, even suggesting it was "irresponsible" for reporters to ask the question.

Again there is a partisan split: 36 Republicans in the House refused to say whether they own guns; 11 Democrats refused to say. Across both the House and Senate, an additional 161 lawmakers did not return repeated phone calls, e-mails and requests for comment — 97 of those were Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he owns guns, though he wouldn't say what kind. His Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, declined to say whether he does. In the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she does not own a gun, and Speaker John Boehner's office did not respond to multiple requests.........

......Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who famously used a rifle to shoot a copy of an environmental bill in a 2010 campaign ad, seemed surprised by the question about his gun ownership, pointing out that he is from West Virginia. "Why would anybody not own a gun?" he asked......

......At least a dozen members spoke of heirloom weapons, inherited from fathers, grandfathers and mothers, that are as much a part of the family as their name.......

.....For others, the question itself was an intrusion.....

......Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., through spokeswoman Sarah Wolf, provided a more succinct response: "None of your damn business."

Some lawmakers declined to respond to the survey even though they have already made public statements declaring themselves to be gun owners.....

.....Reflecting the constituents

The responses suggest that gun ownership among lawmakers is on par with gun ownership nationwide. In a December 2012 USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, 43% of respondents said they have a gun in their home. In USA TODAY's lawmakers survey, 43% who responded said they were gun owners.

Hammond argued that gun ownership does not determine a lawmakers' vote on gun control. More likely, he said, the culture of the district they represent shapes their view of gun control and their decision to own a gun.

"Lots of Democrats live in urban areas like Chicago and New York where guns are all but banned," said Hammond, whose Gun Owners of America bills itself as "the only no-compromise gun lobby in Washington."

Those lawmakers "don't have a lot of constituents who place a high value on the Second Amendment," and also "don't have the personal experiences with guns that would lead them to see them as anything other than a dangerous nasty object," Hammond said......
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... y/1891191/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[93henfan]

This doesn't appear to have been addressed in the article, but the two biggest gun detractors in Congress, Feinstein and Schumer, both hold gun permits in their respective states that are nearly impossible for common citizens to obtain. Feinstein holds an unrestricted concealed carry permit in California and Schumer holds an unrestricted pistol permit in New York City and also uses NYCPD officers for his personal security detail.

So, they get the best armed protection taxpayer money can buy and want their constituents to be completely disarmed.

No, they're not hypocrites.

[Baldy]

This doesn't appear to have been addressed in the article, but the two biggest gun detractors in Congress, Feinstein and Schumer, both hold gun permits in their respective states that are nearly impossible for common citizens to obtain. Feinstein holds an unrestricted concealed carry permit in California and Schumer holds an unrestricted pistol permit in New York City and also uses NYCPD officers for his personal security detail.

So, they get the best armed protection taxpayer money can buy and want their constituents to be completely disarmed.

No, they're not hypocrites.

Donks.