When so-called “assault weapons” were banned by the Bill Clinton administration in 1994, the overwhelming majority of Americans (80%) supported it. Now, not even a majority do. The turnaround is nothing short of remarkable. More Americans disapprove (53%) than approve (45%) today than they did 22 years ago — despite the increasingly vile attitude we see from mainstream media zealots. Yet this also helps explain why Americans are increasingly accepting of guns.

The mass media enjoyed a virtual monopoly over communication in 1994. That effectively gave the Left control over the narrative, and disinformation campaigns were easy to orchestrate. But all that began to change during the Information Age.

As Dean Weingarten of The Truth About Guns observes, “Conservative talk radio had already begun to make inroads into American culture, and the Internet was just starting to become a viable method of mass communication. The opponents of the ban managed to include a sunset to the bill ten years in the future. By the time the sunset came due, enough people had learned the truth about ‘assault weapons’ to prevent an extension of the bill.” He adds, “Clearly emotion-based arguments and lies can sway an electorate to support gun control. But when the facts are disseminated, support diminishes. That’s why the proponents of civilian disarmament push so hard to pass gun control measures quickly.”

We see a similar reaction unfolding on the issue of background checks. Thank heavens we still have an open media. It’s no wonder the marketplace of ideas that has become a hallmark of conservative media is the Democrats’ next point of attack.

(Edited.)