Is 90 the New 99?

If 2011 and 2012 was defined by the "Occupy" movement and the "%99", and 2010 was defined by the "Tea Party", could 2013 mark the beginning of the "%90"?

I'm sure plenty of hubs, blogs, op-eds, letters, etc. have been and will be written about the defeat of background checks and other pieces of gun safety legislation. I think that supporters of background checks and other legislation to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people overestimated the ease at which legislation would pass. The struggles of women, people of color, organized labor, among others, should be a reminder that this was, and is not going to be an easy struggle. The opponents are well-funded, and well-organized.

The next step for those who wish to see an end to tragedies like; Tucson, Fort Hood, Trayvon Martin, Aurora, Kansas City and Newtown, is to take their outrage and channel it into action.

In planning the next steps towards America having a firearms policy more in line with the rest of the industrialized world, looking at two issues that seem to have little to do with firearms. One in reforming the filibuster, so that a small minority of Senators cannot put a stop to legislation. A second front is to reform campaign finance, so that a corporation cannot have more influence than citizens.

To do this, the "%90" might wish to take a few pages from the "%99". There is likely a lot of overlap between these two, save for a small insurrectionist wing.

One thing that the "%90" can take from the "%99" is the use of social media. The NRA has a membership that is informed, though maybe ill-informed and ready to act at a moments notice. The "%99" has shown how effectively social media can be used to organize and mobilize, one group that has made use of social media to advance the policies of gun sanity is the Coalition To Stop Gun Violence. Very often when I log in to my Facebook account, I find some news or meme from this organization.

A second thing that the "%90" can take from the "%99" is a flair for the dramatic. I could see a sort of "die in" type event being done at a Bass Pro Shop, Cabella's or even Wal-Mart. Prayer vigils for victims of gun violence, along the lines of what Heeding God's Call does, could be a way to reach out to the communities.

A final thing is that this issue needs to be kept on the radar. I realize that the next mass shooting is not a matter of if, but when. The trick is going to be keeping this issue alive in the meantime.