No Longer Gun Shy Young voters concerned about gun deaths are registering to vote in record numbers.

No Longer Gun Shy

Young voters concerned about gun deaths are registering to vote in record numbers.

By Susan Milligan Senior WriterJuly 27, 2018, at 6:00 a.m.

CANDIDATES USED TO BE able to rely on two axioms: young people don't vote, and gun control is not a winning issue for Democrats in competitive races. But a surge of political activism among youth – combined with student demands for more gun safety laws – has thrown both presumptions out the window.

In Colorado – a state which five years ago ousted two state senators in a recall election after they pushed through gun control legislation – GOP congressional incumbent Mike Coffman, who has an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association, is under political fire for his pro-gun stance. The district, long considered safely red, is now a toss-up race, according to leading nonpartisan political forecasters. Democrat Jason Crow, who made guns the first issue ad of his campaign, could become the first Democrat ever to represent the district, which was created in 1983.

In Florida, a pro-gun rights GOP House incumbent, also with an "A" NRA rating, is facing a tough re-election campaign against a Democratic primary candidate who appeared at a gun control rally with former Rep. Gabby Giffords, whose congressional career was ended after she was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in 2011. Instead of blasting Democrat David Shapiro for calling for gun control in a state named the 12th most gun owner-friendly in the nation last year by Guns & Ammo magazine, Republican Vern Buchanan is running an ad criticizing Shapiro for making personal financial investments in guns and ammunition companies.

And in Ohio, an Aug. 7 special election for a congressional seat is also considered a toss-up – despite the district's longtime GOP leanings and the unabashed call by the Democrat, Danny O'Connor, for "red flag" laws refusing firearms to dangerous individuals. He's hoping to upset his GOP opponent, the NRA "A"-rated state Sen. Troy Balderson.

What's behind the agitation for tighter gun laws? It's young people, who are criss-crossing the country to call attention to the issue, call out lawmakers who reject them, and call on others in their generation to vote. And while candidates in the past could feel safe knowing that youth would not make a strong showing at the ballot box, current data suggests those running for office should be somewhat – if not very – afraid.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2018-07-27/gun-deaths-are-driving-the-young-to-vote?