Gun control is, perhaps, THE ONLY ISSUE that can take an otherwise-loyal Democrat and make him vote Republican.
He may have issues with just about all of the Republican platform, but if he now has guns, he will vote to protect those guns - and the DEMOCRATS know that.
That is why EVEN MANY DEMOCRATS want NOTHING AT ALL to do with voting on gun control. It is also why Nancy Pelosi was able to win back the House in 2006 - she told the Dems running then to say whatever they needed to say to win (i.e., they support gun rights). She knew when the REAL VOTES came, such as Obamacare, they would be there for her, and she was right.
And that worked until 2010, but then Obama’s performance couldn’t fool the voters anymore. And then you had the shooting in Connecticut in 2012. It brought out all the gun-grabbers, and that pretty much determined the fate of the 2014 election. The Dems NEVER had a chance.
Well said, I agree.
Also, to add to your excellent commentary, the beauty of the gun control issue is that Democrats can’t con the people with cute words and try to claim the false “mainstream” position on it, like they do with abortion and education.