There is movement in the electorate
For the first time in decades there is a fissure in the Republicans party on the issue of guns:
Young Republicans aren’t clinging to guns like the rest of the GOP.
As former President Donald Trump and new campaign entrants, including former Vice President Mike Pence, tout their Second Amendment bonafides and opposition to “gun confiscation” to 2024 primary voters, some Gen Z and millennial Republicans are moving in the opposite direction: A significant share of younger conservatives, reared in an age of mass violence, embrace firearm restrictions.
One poll conducted by Harvard’s political institute this spring found that a clear majority of young conservatives supported mandatory psychological exams for gun purchasers. A separate, recurring survey from YouGov concluded in March that Gen Z and millennial Republicans are more likely to believe in tougher gun laws than older Republicans and that young conservatives’ support for the idea has grown in the past year.
The generational disconnect suggests broader GOP opposition to gun restrictions will be a steady irritant inside a party already struggling to appeal to young voters. It could also challenge White House hopefuls and members of Congress to eventually refine their message on guns with Republican primary and general election voters, even if the concerns of young people won’t transform GOP politics overnight.
“But at the same time, I really don’t know when and where that conversation within the party will happen,” Hernandez said in an interview. “You still have a lot of elected officials and Republicans within the party who don’t believe we should have government interference when it comes to owning guns.”
The Democrats need to make the case that this is a top priority and not be afraid to put it on the menu. They’re getting better but ever since 2000 when Al Gore’s very close election was partially blamed on the gun issue, they’ve tip-toed around it in elections. There’s an opening here and they need to start working it.
The right wants a culture war. Democrats have the support of the country on two culture war issues that are far more salient than Dr Seuss and bathroom bills: abortion and guns. Bring it.
Update: Gavin Newsom goes there