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Your connection of the "gun nuts" and the republicans is ridiculous.
No, actually, here's the thing. The Gop is made up of the Rich and the Rubes.
The rich have a goal. Undo all the Progressive policies enacted between Teddy Roosevelt to FDR. It's actually self-defeating, but the problem with the wealthy in general is they think they are better than everyone else.
The Rubes are easily manipulated by pulling their strings on sex, religion, race and fear. and they keep pulling the lever for the "R" and then keep wondering why their middle class lifestyles keep declining. Fuck, I did it for years until Bush made it so obvious even I couldn't ignore it anymore.
Now, here's the thing with the gun nuts. You have the Rubes who really think that having a gun keeps them safe from the scary darkies they think are out there. It really doesn't. A gun in home is far more likely to kill a person in the home than a bad guy.
You have the rich who want to sell guns. So they keep the Gun Show and Private Seller loopholes open so that there's just enough crime to keep the Rubes nice and scared. Scared rubes buy more guns and keep pulling that lever for the "R"'s. And then when they watch their job go to China and their consumer taxes go up so that the rich can enjoy another tax break, they stand there slackjawed wondering why.