At age 51, I am classified by some as an "old white man." The fact that I own guns and advocate for the Second Amendment sort of means I fit the stereotype of the average gun guy. I'm an old white dude with guns.

But that's never been the totality of gun owners in this country. I've been to too many Second Amendment events and seen too many people from across the demographic spectrum to buy into that.

And at RealClearPolicy, it seems they can see it too.

New data reveals that Americans from all walks of life – spanning various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and political backgrounds – are increasingly choosing to be their family’s first line of defense. Perhaps the most striking shift occurring is in traditionally anti-gun voting groups including registered Democrats and left-leaning individuals. According to the findings, nearly a third of Democrats or those leaning Democratic reported having a gun at home in 2022, a significant jump from the four-decade low of 22% recorded in 2010. Even more telling, researchers analyzing the data found that since 2020, more than half of Democratic gun owners were first-time purchasers, compared to less than a quarter of Republicans.

The rise in liberal gun ownership represents a potential ideological shift that could have profound and far-reaching implications for gun policy and Second Amendment debates in the United States. We have seen the evolving stances of the Harris-Walz ticket on firearms bring this issue to the forefront of this election cycle. Both have emphasized their personal gun ownership, signaling a strategic elevation of the issue within the broader Democratic agenda, and perhaps tapping into the urgency felt by many Americans with surging crime rates and a porous southern border. As more left-leaning Americans become gun owners, they may develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for firearm rights, potentially bridging what has recently been a vast political divide.

This is good news, folks. This is very good news.

Right now, Republicans are generally disinclined to push gun control. There are exceptions, but they also tend to be on their way out shortly after they offer up support for gun control. Most have the good sense to recognize that push for gun control is a losing proposition.

Democrats, however, have no such compunction. As it stands, their base is solidly supportive of gun control. They can push that agenda all day long.

But what happens when suddenly, a large percentage of Democrats are gun owners?

Gun owners don't become gun voters overnight, of course. However, it only takes enough time for them to hear the anti-gun rhetoric and realize that their guns are just as in danger and are being vilified through the same ignorance as what we've talked about a thousand times. In time, they'll start voting for the candidate that isn't threatening their guns.

Democrats, over time, will get the message.

It's one thing to have the courts more or less on your side, but that's not the slam dunk it should be these days. Instead, our gun rights become safe when neither party is interested in infringing upon them.

It's sad that we have to hope that day comes rather than simply enjoying it already being here, but it is what it is. 

That only happens, though, when the Democratic base has enough gun owners that they just can't afford to be stupid anymore.

May that day come swiftly.