For us political junkies, it’s playoff time. We closely watch every poll trying to discern the direction of the nation’s voters. Is our team behind? How can that be when our quarterback is completing so many passes? Is that really the score? There are so many commentators. Are all of them right when predicting my team’s loss? Is my team really that far behind?
When it comes to polls, there is only one that matters. Well, two to be exact but only one that happens before Election Day. The rest are meaningless subterfuge and many if not most could be filed under ‘psychological operations’ by the opposing team. They want you to think that your candidate is going to lose. They want you to stay home on Election Day. They want you to question what your eyes are seeing. They want to plant that seed of doubt. They want all of this because they want your guy to lose.
In days gone by, polls engaged in a scientific process attempting to predict the outcome of an election. Pollsters used scientific methods taking data samples that were then extrapolated to reach statistical conclusions. Polls used to be fairly accurate assigning a statistical margin of error based on time-honored inputs and data collection methods. Outcomes normally fell within those margins of error and the pollster’s reputation for being reliable was dependent on the accuracy of his poll. Not anymore.
They have now become a tool used more often to manipulate the electorate rather than reflect it.
So, what is the only poll that matters right now?
Actually, it’s not a poll at all in the traditional sense. It’s a measure of the preferences of the electorate using their spending habits as a guide. It’s a poll that encompasses the old adage of “putting your money where your mouth is”. Where are Americans putting their money? They’re buying guns by the truckload. The only poll that matters right now is gun sales.
Think about it. When you buy a gun for the first time, you cross a line. You make a conscious decision that your life or property may be threatened at some point in the future and the most logical solution to that problem is to buy an object that allows its user to potentially kill another human being to protect that life or property. That’s a big deal. It’s a serious decision. It says all you need to know about the mindset of the purchaser. Not everyone who purchases a gun completely processes that fact, but it remains a fact no less.
Literally millions of people have made that decision in the past six months. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 19,180,047 firearm background checks conducted by the National Instant Check System (NICS) according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Industry estimates are that roughly 40 percent of those purchases have been new gun owners. The FBI does not keep track of how many are new purchasers versus existing firearms owners.
Millions of new gun owners absolutely frighten the Left. It frightens them not because there are now millions more firearms in circulation owned by people who may be familiar with their use. (Note that each background check can be for one or more firearms purchased). It frightens them because these new gun purchasers had a wakeup call. It frightens them because the gun buyer exercised her own individual freedom and in doing so rejected the notion that her government overlords would protect her life, her family, and her property. The pronoun her was used for good reason. Despite what the Democrats would have you believe; these new gun buyers represent all demographics not just Southern white male MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporters with Confederate flags painted on their Dodge Chargers.
Whether these 19 million gun purchasers are new gun owners or old ones, does anyone think that any one of these 19 million gun buyers are going to flock to Joe Biden and the Democrats who have been trying to take their guns away for years? If industry estimates are anywhere close to the mark and 40 percent or 7.67 million are new purchasers, does anyone think that these new gun buyers are already diehard Trump supporters, or are they people who just swallowed a red pill and are now fully awake to the schemes of Democrats? How many are suburban mothers who finally realized that they are the only ones who can protect their own families? How many are inner city residents who recognize that Democrats planning to defund their police have created a literal threat to their lives and property which necessitated them purchasing a firearm? How many are from Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland, and other Democrat cesspools which have been at war with rioters and looters for a more than a month now and have seen their towns literally burning down around them?
The party and candidates of law and order will win the next election. Mark my words. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Republicans fail time and again to show leadership in this arena. But for the most part, they at least won’t try to take your guns away...most of the time. Note to Republicans: For a small fee, I will guide you through the process of not looking idiotic like John Kerry when you attempt to appeal to the gun crowd when election time rolls around and it is once again necessary to appeal to us rubes.
In 2016, 138 million people voted in the presidential election, and of that number, 13.9 percent had purchased a gun in the last six months. Does any rational person doubt that these recent gun purchasers will be voting for a candidate or a party who would have that new purchase confiscated? Does anyone believe that the newest gun owners would drop hundreds of dollars to make a life-changing purchase to turn around and vote for a candidate who doesn’t think they need one and whose policies are the root cause of the lawlessness? Please tell me again how Trump and the Republicans are going to lose. I guess we’ll know late on November 4th when the real poll results come in. Until then, pay attention to the only poll that matters.