Stoaty Weasel thinks she’s figured it out:

…they really and truly believe their own narrative.

Others have come to the same conclusion. Sorry, I don’t buy it. Consider the following thought experiment:

From Answers.com (I do not vouch for the reliability of the statistics, but my experience suggests that the numbers may not be too far off:)

Most estimates range between 39% and 50% of US households having at least one gun (thats about 43-55 million households). The estimates for the number of privately owned guns range from 190 million to 300 million. Removed those that skew the stats for thier own purposes the best estimates are about 45% or 52 million of american households owning 260 million guns).

Given that there are about 310 million Americans, the average household is about three people, so about 150 million Americans own about 260 million guns.

Now: Suppose that the leftoid hysterics are correct, and a significant number of gun owners are rabid, unstable wingnuts capable of being impelled by “violent political rhetoric” to go out and shoot people who inflame their passions. If that were the case, what would the life expectancy of, e.g., Paul Krugman be?

No, they don’t believe their own BS. If they did they’d be hiding under the bed and bleating conciliatory noises, not piling on the blood libels.

UPDATE: Ann Althouse is a little kinder.