CNN reports the figure at over 40, citing a running tally of declarations complied by Gun Rights Watch.
Virginia Citizens Defense League’s Phil Van Cleave explained the sudden resolve of gun owners:
These are people [gun owners] that were sleeping during the elections. That’s the problem with a lot of gun owners, they tend to get complacent and think, “Oh okay, nothing bad is going to happen.” They were sleeping and the elections then kind of eked out a margin for the democrats and they came on saying, “We want gun control.” “This is all about gun control.”
He suggested the post-election gun control push has rallied gun owners to the cause: “They woke up a sleeping giant, and they know it now. They’ve grabbed a tiger by the tail.”
