The anti-gun Brady Campaign's (anti) Second Amendment census

By Chad D. Baus

Dear John,

What best describes your feelings about guns? What do you think the Second Amendment means?

We want to know your answers to these questions and to learn more about your preferences.

...As the fight against gun violence continues, our goal is to learn more about you and to develop a better understanding of what you and others think is important in the battle against gun violence.

So begins a recent email to a friend of mine from Paul Helmke, president of the anti-gun group formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc.

Given the promise that "Your responses will directly influence the decisions we make in communicating with more people like you to support our efforts," I decided it was worth the time taken (about 5 minutes) to complete the survey (even if just for the entertainment value alone).

The survey questions are, as one might expect, a bit loaded.

For example, Question 5 asks responders to "Please select from the following issues where you have been active i.e. contacting legislators, donating, participating in local marches, etc." The only option related to firearms is "gun violence," which are the Brady bunch code words for "gun control." But since there is no option for "other," I chose that one. I've certainly contacted legislators, donated and participated in local marches about gun violence...it's just that I was asking legislators to loosen gun control laws, donating to pro-gun groups, and marching in open carry walks, all in the name of preventing gun violence by increasing gun rights for law-abiding citizens.

Question 7 asks if you are "Active/Retired/Former Law Enforcement, Brady Campaign or Million Mom March Chapter Member, College Student, Educator, Gun Violence Prevention Activist, Non-Profit Organization Interested in Partnering with Us, State Elected Official, or a Victim/Survivor of Gun Violence. Though I know it means something different to them, I chose "Gun Violence Prevention Activist," for reasons similar to those outlined in my answer to Question 5 above.

Question 9 inquires, "Do you know anyone who has been a victim of gun violence?," and Question 10 wanted to know that person's relationship to me. An armed 18 year-old criminal once attempted to car-jack my father-in-law, who responded by pulling his own gun (which he, unlike the thug, was carrying legally) and disarming the thug. So I checked yes.

Questions 11 and 12 are interesting. "Do you or someone in your household own a gun? If Yes, please specify relation and how many. Example: My father, 2 guns (Optional)"

Are they serious? Everyone in my house owns guns, but I'm not about to tell them how many. Later in the survey they also ask personal questions such as "What is your total household income, including all earners in your household?," "How many children currently reside in your household?," "What is the highest level of education you have completed?," "What is your date of birth?" and "What is your race?" I refused to answer similar questions for the U.S. Census, so I wasn't about to answer them for the Brady bunch.

Question 14 asks "Which of the following statements accurately reflects your views on the use and carry of firearms for sport and/or protection," and only two choices for answers are given. "I am against gun control or any inconvenience to law abiding citizens," or "I am in favor of common sense gun laws to reduce gun violence." It's a bit of a loaded question, and I know what they really mean by "common sense gun laws" is 'radical gun control,' but I chose the first answer.

Question 15 inquires "Which of the following statements would motivate you to donate to Brady Campaign?" I was glad that one of the 11 options for an answer was "NONE."

I had to leave Question 17 blank. It asks "What do you think should be the Brady Campaign's legislative priority?", and provides a pull-down menu of gun control initiatives, including banning private sales of firearms, registering and licensing gun owners, and banning semi-automatic rifles with a military appearance. Remember what I said about their definition of "common sense gun laws?"

Question 18 asks "Which sentence best describes your understanding of the Second Amendment after the Supreme Court Decision in Heller V. District of Columbia?," but since none of the options is a correct one for what the Heller ruling meant (Hint: it applied to D.C. residents only), I left it blank as well.

Finally, Questions 21 and 22 ask "Have you heard about the recent issue of gun owners carrying guns openly into business establishments such as Starbucks?" and "Do you think gun owners carrying guns openly into business establishments threaten the safety of employees and patrons?"

At least they gave the option to answer the second one with a "NO."

Mr. Helmke's email invites: "Please take a few minutes to complete our survey today."

Click here to access the survey.

UPDATE (April 13): The Brady bunch has decided it doesn't want to know your thoughts on the Second Amendment, and has pulled the survey.