Imagine this: the urban elites at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive think tank bankrolled by Soros-linked funds and Democratic heavyweights, now setting their sights on America’s heartland. Their latest report, Exploring Rural America’s Unique Perspective on Gun Violence, isn’t just data-dumping—it’s a calculated psyop to flip red-state rifle owners into clamoring for more restrictions. CAP admits rural gun death rates are lower per capita than urban ones (hello, 4.2 vs. 11.1 per 100k from CDC stats), but they spin suicides and accidents as the real crisis, ignoring how rural folks overwhelmingly prioritize self-defense and hunting traditions. It’s classic bait-and-switch: concede some ground on mass shootings (which are statistically rare everywhere), then pivot to emotional pleas about community safety to erode the cultural firewall that keeps flyover country pro-2A.
Dig deeper, and CAP’s playbook reeks of desperation. They’re cherry-picking FBI data on rural gun violence while glossing over the fact that rural areas have far fewer homicides overall—often because armed citizens deter crime before it escalates. This isn’t organic; it’s funded advocacy dressed as research, echoing Bloomberg’s Everytown playbook that failed spectacularly in Missouri and Nevada referendums. The implications for the 2A community? A direct assault on our strongest bastion. If CAP sways even 10% of rural voters with sob stories about farm accidents (which plummet with proper training, not bans), it normalizes red-flag laws and safe storage mandates that disarm hunters and homesteaders first. We’ve seen it before—Australia’s rural gun confiscation started with suicide prevention.
Gun owners, this is your wake-up call: CAP wants your neighbors knocking on doors for common-sense reforms that inevitably lead to registries and buybacks. Counter it hard—flood local forums with real stats from the Crime Prevention Research Center showing armed rural America is safer, not deadlier. Share stories of defensive gun uses (over 2 million annually, per Kleck’s peer-reviewed work) that CAP conveniently ignores. The heartland isn’t buying this urban transplant nonsense; let’s keep it that way by amplifying voices like John Lott and the NRA’s rural outreach. Stay vigilant—your AR in the truck bed is the last line against their suburban fantasies.
