Reader Peter S. writes:
I’ve been kicking around two ideas this morning. First, I think that the best moniker for pro-gun philosophy and goals has yet to be coined. Terms like “RKBA”, “pro-Second Amendment”, “gun rights”, “pro civil rights”, and the “natural, civil and constitutionally-protected RKBA” are all accurate descriptions of our cause. However, none of them are plain, impactful, and concise. The goal must be to describe our cause in a way that is positive, conveys as much meaning as possible, and appeals to people on a basic level . . .
After a lot of consideration of this issue over many years, I’m thinking that the term “self defense rights” strikes a good balance between all of the above factors. How could someone not be “pro self-defense rights?” The term is simple to understand, but avoids words that are inaccessible or polarizing.
Second, I’ve begun to think that maybe we should adopt some of the gun-haters’ more effective tactics. For example, they will generally begin every argument by saying that they respect the 2A. Perhaps we should preface every argument with something like “I’m as anti-violence as anyone else . . . ” Or agree with them that “of course Constitutional rights are not absolute, just look at First Amendment law . . . ” (I know you disagree with this last one).
I think that if pro self-defense people could better engage anti self-defense arguments by appearing to agree with them, we might craft a more effective message.