There was high stake game played in Washington State between the NRA and the citizens of Washington State, the game was Initiative 594 and the stake was personal background checks for all firearms purchased and closing the gun show loophole.
On November 4th, 2014 the citizens of Washington State won the game when they voted on Initiative 594 and passed Initiative 594 with more than 60 percent of the vote.
NRA was unable to bluff, bully and terrorize the citizens of Washington State into voting against their best interests, despite spending millions lobbying against any sensible gun legislation being passed.
The NRA bet millions on Initiative 591, which would have loosened gun laws by prohibiting background checks on gun purchases unless mandated by federal law, was turned down by about 54 percent of voters.
The NRA’s bluff did not work; the citizens of Washington State called the NRA’s bluff and upped the ante and passed Initiative 594. The NRA is no longer the high stake player in the game. We the gun control advocates are.
Gun control advocates said they hoped to replicate the strategy in other parts of the country where state officials have ignored public support for background checks. In Nevada, a bill to strengthen background checks was passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature last year but was later vetoed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.
In addition to Nevada, advocates cited Oregon, Arizona and Maine as some of the other states where they believe they could gain traction on the ground.
Gun control advocates are taking a play from other successful movements, like the marriage equality movement that first went to D.C. and found that was much more profitable and effective to pivot to the states.
Initiative 594 passing by 60 percent of the vote was a huge payoff for gun control advocates. This payoff will come with a price.
The NRA will become even more extreme and treacherous because the NRA is losing ground. Follow with me.
On NBC’s Meet the Press "if you go back to 1999, Wayne LaPierre testified on behalf of the NRA that background checks were appropriate and should be done." However, now the NRA is taking the extreme position of being opposed to Universal Background checks which would make it much more difficult for terrorists and criminals to purchase guns.
Why the sudden about face you ask.
The simple fact is gun ownership rate has fallen from an average of 50 percent in the 1970s to 49 percent in the 1980s, 43 percent in the 1990s and 35 percent in the 2000s, according to the survey data, analyzed by The New York Times. The NRA/Gun Industry needs extreme gun owners to buy more guns and the best way to enable that is to gin up irrational fear and hatred of the “government.” This has stimulated by racial hatred of President Obama.
Ginning up people's fear of the “black” President has been the NRA’s most successful fear campaigns of all times, guns sale have soared since black President Obama took office.
Gun sales have boomed under Obama, who did not deliver on campaign pledges to restore the “Assault Weapons Ban” that expired in 2004 or to require background checks for guns sold by non-dealers at gun shows. Reliable statistics on total sales don’t exist, but U.S. makers of firearms do report figures on new weapons produced each year.
Production of new handguns — revolvers and automatic pistols — topped 3 million in 2011, an increase of 68 percent over 2008. One factor behind the surge may be a series of groundless rumors that the administration is moving to ban guns. Another factor may be a fear among gun fanciers, fanned by the National Rifle Association, of what Obama might do if reelected, and as well all know President Obama has done nothing to ban guns.
The NRA, the greatest fear mongers of all times, have become masters of marketing fear and selling that fear right back to the most extreme, irrational and fearful members of society. Selling the fear of black people, especially a black President has been as easy as selling candy to a child.
Yes selling irrational fear and hatred has been easy for the NRA, however, the most reputable surveys show a decline over time in the share of households, in America, with guns; any spikes in gun purchases are almost certainly by folks who already own several guns.
The NRA/Gun Industry are forced each year to sell more guns to fewer Americans; which simply means that a minority of Americans are hoarding guns; usually based upon various irrational fears and hatreds.
The NRA/Gun Industry has to target their marketing of guns to the most extreme, irrational and fearful members of society because guns sales are down, very down.
In the recent quarter, Smith & Wesson (SWHC) sales dropped 23 percent, to $131.9 million, and profit plunged 45 percent, to $14.6 million, according to a report late yesterday. Long guns and “modern sporting rifles,” in particular, lost favor among shooters, but handguns cooled off as well. Smith & Wesson shares slumped almost 15 percent on the news.
Sturm Ruger (RGR), another force in the industry, had similarly weak numbers at the end of July. Sales for Sturm dropped 13.4 percent, to $153 million, in the latest quarter, while profit slid by almost one-third, to $22.3 million.
The passing of Initiative 594 was no doubt a wake-up call for the NRA, despite having raised over $1 million in donations from largely pro-gun groups, Initiative 591 failed. NRA's power is failing, the American public has grown tired of their terrorism tactics. We are ready and willing to fight the terrorist's now.
We the public are through with be held hostage by the NRA, we have grown a spine and are now going to stand-up to one of the most powerful terrorist's groups of all times because we have become more powerful than the terrorist.
The NRA are no longer the high stake players at the table, they are no longer in control of the game, we the people have now become the ones with the control, we hold the winning hand and we will be playing that hand all over the United States.