97Percent: Another fake 'pro gun' group calls for gun control

Here we go again. There's another gun group out there claiming to respect the Second Amendment while, of course, calling for more gun control.

They call themselves 97Percent, a reference to shoddy research which they claim shows what percentage of Americans favor so-called "universal background checks." And they pose as representatives of the majority of gun owners.

In reality, they are a phony, astro-turf, smoke-and-mirrors organization pretending to be composed of average folks — who just happen to support the same draconian gun control policies every other gun control group supports.

This deceptive tactic has a long history.

Remember Americans for Gun Safety, funded by billionaire Andrew McKelvey? It was founded on the idea that the best chance of success for gun control was to stop using words like "gun control" and start using more friendly words while continuing to push for the same useless gun control policies.

Then there was the American Hunters and Shooters Association, which masqueraded as good ol' boys who were all about hunting and shooting but openly trashed the NRA, formed an alliance with Bloomberg-funded Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and endorsed Obama for president.

And let's not forget Sportsmen for Obama, American Rifle and Pistol Association, Ohioans for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives, among others, all of which pretended to be grassroots or pro-gun to thinly mask their gun control agendas.

97Percent is no different. On their website, they say:

Gun safety is not about guns, it’s about people.

97Percent’s mission is to reduce gun-related deaths in America by changing the conversation around gun safety to include gun owners, conducting original research to identify common ground, and leveraging technology to make our communities safer.

Translation:

Gun safety is not about the people who commit crime, it's about taking guns away from those who don't.

97Percent’s mission is to reduce gun ownership in America by limiting the conversation around gun safety to include gun control advocates only, conducting biased research to identify which restrictions we can get away with, and leveraging technology to flood the media with propaganda.

They claim to respect the Second Amendment, but they support universal background checks, red flag laws, and even state-level gun permits. That last one is surprising because it's so over-the-top, most other fake gun groups avoid it. They want permits to purchase and possess guns and separate permits for concealed carry.

So they definitely don't respect the Second Amendment. To support gun permits, you must ignore every modern U.S. Supreme Court opinion on the Second Amendment, including Heller, McDonald, and Bruen. And you must ignore the whole point of the Second Amendment, or any other enumerated amendment for that matter, which is to act as a check on government power. That's impossible when government has the power to deny a right based on a licensing scheme.

And look at their leadership team, featuring longtime gun control advocate Richard Aborn, former president of Handgun Inc., now known as the Brady Campaign, and a principal strategist behind the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act as well as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

Other leaders include liberal media analysts, left-leaning activists, and RINOs who all advocate for strict gun control.

While they claim to be a bipartisan group of "gun owners and non-gun owners," they don't try very hard to hide their true colors. They say they want to "have an honest, civil discussion about ways to reduce gun-related violence, while respecting the 2nd Amendment." However, we've been having a discussion for decades. And Americans have voiced their opinion loud and clear in the way they always do, through their votes, not through polls.

Elections are the only "polls" that matter, and gun control is a sure way to lose elections. Why? Because most people don't support it. If they did, advocates wouldn't have to create fake groups like 97Percent to gin up the illusion of consensus on gun control.

They wouldn't have to rely on polling to decide what words to use when talking about policy. They wouldn't need to get nearly all their funding from mega-rich donors, unlike true pro-gun groups like Buckeye Firearms Association, which is supported by thousands of real gun owners donating a few dollars at a time.

97Percent, whose address is a UPS Store, is phony in every respect. It is little more than what David Codrea, in a Firearms News article, called "kinder, gentler citizen disarmament outreach to gun owners."

The media love organizations like this because it lets them pretend to be fair and balanced while spreading the gun control agenda. And rich gun control advocates love to support organizations like this because they think real gun owners are too naive to see the wolf in sheep's clothing.

Sorry, but we don't buy it. And the American people won't either. Stay tuned for the article where we tell you about 97Percent folding up shop, same as other fake gun groups have done, while we're still here fighting to protect our constitutional rights.

And if you want to let 97Percent know that you're on to their charade and they're not fooling real gun owners, share your thoughts on their Facebook or Twitter page or their YouTube channel.

Dean Rieck is Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association, a former competitive shooter, NRA Patron Member, former #1 NRA Recruiter, and host of the Keep and Bear Radio podcast.