In early 2025, anti-gun activist David Hogg was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a decision that immediately stirred controversy—not just over party procedure but also over the ideological message his leadership sends. A re-vote on his appointment is now scheduled for June 9-11, with potential follow-up voting through June 14.
The issue at hand is not simply about internal DNC rules. It reflects a larger question facing the Democratic Party: Should a national political organization elevate a vocal anti-Second Amendment figure into its leadership when gun ownership is rapidly rising—even among its own base?
The Procedural Vote and What’s at Stake
Hogg’s February 2025 appointment followed a relatively low-profile internal process, but concerns were raised about transparency and legitimacy. The DNC has now agreed to hold a virtual vote among its members to decide whether the original vote should be redone.
While officially procedural, this vote has taken on symbolic importance. Hogg is a well-known gun-control activist who used anti-gun activism to get into Harvard. His anti-freedom persona might appeal to a subset of Democrats who share his anti-gun views, but not to anyone who does not see American freedom as a problem that needs to be solved.
More Democrats Are Choosing to Own Guns
A 2021 Pew Research Center study found that 20% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents lived in a household with a gun. Less than two years later, that figure had grown to almost 30% and now hovers over 34%.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), approximately 26.2 million Americans became first-time gun owners between 2020 and 2024, many spurred by the violence and uncertainty of the pandemic lockdowns and riots. Of those, significant percentages were women, blacks and Latinos—voting blocs that traditionally lean Democratic.
Why? Self-identified Democrats cited personal safety, increasing crime and a desire for self-defense as reasons for purchasing firearms.
One of the most notable aspects of this demographic shift is who is buying guns. Increasingly, gun ownership is rising among urban residents, women and minority groups—all viewed as core constituencies of the Democratic Party.
For example, black gun ownership rose 58% in 2020 alone, according to the NSSF. Hispanic and Asian American ownership saw similar increases. The firearms industry and advocacy groups, such as the DC Project and Black Guns Matter, have increasingly highlighted this growing diversity within the gun-owning community.
This shift is not anecdotal. Groups like the National African American Gun Association and Latino Rifle Association have reported surges in membership and participation since 2020.
Hogg’s Rhetoric: At Odds with the Base?
David Hogg has been clear and consistent in his stance on guns. On X, he wrote in 2023: “You have no right to a gun. You are not a militia. When you’re talking about your Second Amendment rights, you’re talking about a state’s right to have what is today the National Guard. The modern interpretation of 2A is a ridiculous fraud pushed for decades by the gun lobby.”
Such language might appeal to specific segments of anti-gun elitists, especially college-educated progressives; however, it conflicts with the views of many within the party who support personal firearm ownership.
His anti-Second Amendment stance has continued in recent months.
He has reposted claims that urban crime will now “get worse” as a result of funding cuts to bloated “neighborhood anti-gun violence programs.” He has promoted a nationwide “Assault Weapons Ban” and has even taken a stance against “short-barreled shotguns.”
That is merely the tip of the iceberg.
This tension mirrors a broader divide: many rank-and-file Democrats believe in the right to self-defense and safe gun ownership. Hogg’s absolutist framing—that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right—puts him at odds with many in his party. The optics of elevating a figure like Hogg—who openly mocks Second Amendment protections—should push away moderates who feel there is no longer space in the party for lawful gun ownership.
Clearly, as more Democrats buy firearms, many are re-evaluating their place in the party—or at least demanding a broader tent on this issue.
David Hogg is not the cause of the Democratic Party’s internal debate over guns—he is a symbol of it. His high-profile role in the DNC has forced the issue into the open: Can the party continue to push aggressive gun-control rhetoric while a growing number of its supporters are gun owners themselves?
The upcoming vote on Hogg’s DNC position will answer more than a procedural question. It will signal whether Democrats are willing to accommodate the complexity of their coalition—or whether ideological purity on gun control remains a top-down priority.
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