IMPORTANT SENATE DEMOCRATS wavering on gun control. “The popularity of guns like the AR-15 has exploded in the last decade, with millions of Americans using ARs for hunting, target shooting, competition, and home defense. The AR-15, a relatively uncommon rifle when I was growing up, has become mainstream among shooters. When Diane Feinstein talks about banning ARs she is threatening the rights of millions of people, not just a few social outcasts and hillbillies like myself. . . . The power of the gun rights movement has grown since the 1990s because gun culture has been spreading far and wide among people who defy the stereotype of what a gun rights supporter is supposed to be. Just as an anecdote, when I go to the NRA Headquarters Range in Fairfax I see blacks, whites, and Asians all shooting together—not just overweight white guys in John Deere hats. The culture of shooting, including its accompanying political and social mantras, has infiltrated new communities.”