Yes, Virginia, there can<\/span> be a conversation about gun control. Think Progress has identified five regulations that NRA members have said they support.<\/a> According to Think Progress, new research<\/a> released in July by Republican pollster Frank Luntz for Mayors against Illegal Guns, finds that gun advocates overwhelmingly support common-sense measures typically described as \u201cgun control.\u201d\u00a0 Here’s a summary:<\/p>\n

1. Requiring criminal background checks on gun owners and gun shop employees.<\/strong> 87 percent of non-NRA gun-owners and 74 percent of NRA gun owners support the former, and 80 percent and 79 percent, respectively, endorse the latter.<\/p>\n

2. Prohibiting terrorist watch list members from acquiring guns.<\/strong> Support ranges from 80 percent among non-NRA gun-owners to 71 percent among NRA members.<\/p>\n

3. Mandating that gun-owners tell the police when their gun is stolen.<\/strong> 71 percent non-NRA gun-owners support this measure, as do 64 percent of NRA members.<\/p>\n

4. Concealed carry permits should only be restricted to individuals who have completed a safety training course and are 21 and older.<\/strong> 84 percent of non-NRA and 74 percent of NRA member gun-owners support the safety training restriction, and the numbers are 74 percent and 63 percent for the age restriction.<\/p>\n

5. Concealed carry permits shouldn\u2019t be given to perpetrators of violent misdemeanors or individuals arrested for domestic violence.<\/strong> The NRA\/non-NRA gun-owner split on these issues is 81 percent and 75 percent in favor of the violent misdemeanors provision and 78 percent\/68 percent in favor of the domestic violence restriction.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get a federal law with these policies through Congress immediately. Even the hardest-line, NRA-funded Congresspeople would have a tough time opposing it, given the overwhelming public support for these provisions–particularly among NRA members. It would be an excellent\u00a0 way to break apart Congressional gridlock, demonstrate a good faith effort to do something positive, and start a shamefully overdue conversation about gun violence in America. Enough hand-wringing, praying, hiding behind the gun lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment,\u00a0 and symbolic lowering of flags to half-mast. Let’s get to work. If Congress can’t pass this one, after what happened in Newtown, Connecticut, they might as well turn off the lights and go home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yes, Virginia, there can be a conversation about gun control. Think Progress has identified five regulations that NRA members have said they support. According<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,843,273,1656,16,1528,834],"tags":[1031,1510,1658,31,894],"yoast_head":"\n