Self-described liberal "gun guy" Dan Baum has traveled across the nation interviewing gun owners. He delivers this assessment of the gun debate in an interview with Mother Jones:
I personally have met very few gun owners who oppose background checks. But very few of them, even the ones that don't want an AR-15 with a 30-round magazine, believe that limiting the amount of rounds in a magazine is going to contribute materially to public safety. What worries them is being told you are not to be trusted with these things, and that is really offensive because gun owners derive a tremendous amount of pride from being able to live alongside very dangerous things, use them effectively, and not hurt anyone. When a politician or a pundit who obviously has very little experience or no experience with guns, like Charles Schumer or Dianne Feinstein, says to your ordinary gun owner, "You cant be trusted with more than 10-round magazine," it really strikes the wrong chord. The bulge of the gun guys demographic is middle-aged, rural white men with some college, and that is a demographic that has been losing ground economically and culturally for the past 30 years. So along comes the NRA with an analysis: You want know why you're so pissed off? Because the liberals want to take away your guns.
