Why the Rise of Gun Rights?

Sebastian has an open thread in the change from the high water mark of the Gun Control movement to the present where they are scattered and demoralized.

The discussion in the comments is fascinating.  We know Gun Rights are on a hearty upswing but as to why, well.. there seem to be many reasons.

The spread of Shall Issue to the vast majority of the country, the spread of self defense as a reason to own a gun, the accessibility if information via the internet,  the re-normalization of guns via (video games and all of the previous)  seem to be major factors.

In personal experience, I was in Buffalo for a wedding.  And I found that May Issue was loathed there.  Even by the "hipsterish" folks.  As long as the person you were talking to was not a red-diaper baby level (with one big exception) people seemed affronted by the idea of "The Man"  telling them they couldn't have a gun. Also discussing the pre-1986 aspect of machine gun ownership boggled them. No no you can't own that machine gun it's too new, here have this older one.

However, that big exception:  Canadians.  The Fudd is alive in them.  They're all about the "Sporting Purpose"   so Pa-Pa's hunting rifle or Me-Ma's shotgun is just fine, but a handgun or something with a normal magazine?  Well... then you gotta be looking for trouble.  It goes to the "Why do you need a gun?"

In Canada,  "Because Fuck you that's why!"  is considered too impolite.  And "Because I want to defend myself" is seen as too aggressive. Hell I remember growing up  (NJ in the 90's)  that you couldn't argue that people should have a gun unless it was for historical or hunting or sport purposes.

That's what banning carry and self defense does.

In Canada you can't use a gun to defend yourself.  Their safe storage laws make it a crime to defend your home with a gun, and you can't get a carry permit. Well unless you're connected.  Canada's Carry Permits are a bit harder to get than NYC's but they exist.

But the point is that if you live in an area where people can't use guns to defend themselves in or out of the home then you have turned guns into just a somewhat dangerous hobby.   As Weerd has said before:

Yep, as soon as we only frame gun ownership in a "Sporting Purposes" test, we've lost, because guns indeed are dangerous. We not only have people killed and injured during the sports, but we have people abusing guns and harming and committing crimes.

To weigh those things against the fun of hunting and sport shooting is simply selfish and foolish, and if that's the case there is no reason to NO ban guns.

As soon as we add self-defense and the protection from tyranny, suddenly the argument changes greatly. 

I think,  adding self defense and protection from tyranny was a big factor in changing the argument.   Note that the places that have gun control "success"  work by taking away self defense from the common man.

Germany, Italy,  Canada,  NYC... the dirty secret is that those places do allow CCW.  Just not for the commoners.   And I think that is a difference  as many Americans (especially those in the ~30%  ~10 May/No Issue states) realize with jealous eyes towards their freerer brethren.

I know that in Buffalo itself there's a big blame NYC/Bloomberg angle where they lay the State's Nannying stupidities on the downstate folks.