On the other hand, someone without that track record, we can’t tell. Maybe they’re just pandering politically; they might stay pro-gun as long as the political waves stay that way, or they might flip once they’re elected. Or maybe they do honestly think progun after a real revelation like being mugged… but only want guns for themselves after they’re elected.

There are exceptions. I might take a newly progun Senator or Mayor who makes the right arguments — talking about protected rights rather than granted ones, about self-defense and all lawful uses rather than just about hunting — than one who doesn’t get it.

People change their opinion. I myself was fairly antigun (yay, public school brainwashing!) for a long while. But I did not try to get into a position where I could dictate the rights of others mere days after stumbling onto guncite.org. Those who try to do so are going to have to deal with a certain degree of skepticism.

Granted, people have to show their positions by their actions, but people do change their position on various political positions after they are 20. OR even after they are 30.

I didn’t join the NRA because it is anti-abortion. I didn’t join the NRA over immigration issues or to get Christian prayers reintroduced into public schools. If it is going to branch out to include other issues under its umbrella then I am not interested in being a part of it.

There is a (stupid) tendency in America today that says I can ask one question (one of several questions) – your stance on gun control, your stance on prayer in schools, your stance on abortion, etc. – and the answer you give to that one question, is supposed to crystallize your entire political opinion on a bunch of unrelated topics. This is naive at best, and self-defeating for second amendment advocates.

I don’t care what your stance on abortion rights is. I don’t care what religion you are or if you want YOUR prayers in public school. (Actually I do care, but not in the field of my second amendment blogging and advocacy.)

And I think we really do want all of the liberals who are dealing with self-defense issues to support our second amendment rights even if we disagree on some things.

Republicans, well… most of our RINOs can score pretty high on the ADA’s list.

The modern Democratic party doesn’t allow much in the way of moderation (see Leiberman’s 80+% ADA rating and related booting out), but you don’t have to be a Democratic senator to end up on the liberalish side.

Honestly, I think the NRA and we gun bloggers could do a better job of reaching out to them.

Amen. Not all liberals are extremists. Of course by definition all conservatives are extremists, by definition you know. Right metulj?