A lot of our readers are active on social media, both in 2A groups and on your home feeds, and quite outspoken when it comes to guns, Second Amendment rights, concealed carry, legislation…even TTAG writers (and that’s a whole ‘nother Oprah, so don’t get me started).
But today, I want to talk about a comment I receive quite frequently on social media, which is, “Why bother engaging with anti-gun citizens or non-Americans?”
Good question.
Here’s a good example:
FYI: according to this bloody English twit I’m a fanatic who ammosexually lusts after “death weapons”.
Thankfully, those death weapons allowed my ancestors to successfully fight for and win our freedom from their tyrannical rule.
So basically, I lust freedom… which is sexy AF. https://t.co/QdYvJtzTSy— It’s Just Jenn (@JennJacques) June 27, 2018
The English tart in question decided to dig in after I posted a picture of my guns on the range. (OH, THE HORROR!!!)
Yes, it would have been easy to just block him because honestly, who gives a flying fig what some British crumpet thinks of my Second Amendment rights. However, I try to use every opportunity I have to educate those less fortunate than me… less fortunate in that they only know what they’ve been spoonfed by the liberal media.
Wrong. I believe in my God-given and Constitutionally protected right of self-defense because I have a duty to protect my life and the lives of my children. Your lot is dependent on the government to save you. I depend on myself. 😘 https://t.co/Qn69qfR1oj
— It’s Just Jenn (@JennJacques) June 27, 2018
For instance, Will truly believed “AR” stood for “automatic rifle”. That’s right; in 2018, given the popularity of smartphones and the fact that Google is literally at everyone’s fingertips, this guy still adheres to the ridiculous notion that every MSR is automatic.
I responded only partly because I wanted to educate Will but a big part of it is that social media is just that: social. Will wasn’t the only one to see the tweet and hopefully, now that he’s been educated on this one, albeit minor aspect of the gun control argument, he will not only discontinue advancing this glib nontruth but also start looking into the drivel he’s so eager to spout off.
Or maybe he won’t but discussing gun rights and whacking down the gun control dumb online makes me much sharper in person. On a recent trip, I was donning my NSSF jersey when I grabbed breakfast in the hotel on my way to the range. A woman named Mary who was refilling the bacon pointed at my shirt and asked ‘what’s this all about’, so I informed her I was filming a video at a local gun range with a gun manufacturer.
Her eyes lit up and she said, “Oh my gosh, that’s so wonderful – good for you! That’s so neat! You know, I believe in the Second Amendment and we own guns but these automatic weapons that are killing so many kids are evil, we really need to do something about them.”
A GREAT teaching moment ensued starting with me posing the question, “What makes a gun an ‘automatic weapon’, Mary?” and we ended up talking for 20 minutes about ArmaLite, the Second Amendment, gun violence, self-defense and the gross lack of civility in the fight for gun control.
Would I have had this interaction if I wasn’t so practiced on social media? Probably.
Did my online interactions make this face-to-face discussion a little easier? Absolutely.
When I returned to the hotel on my way back through a week later, the same woman came running up to tell me she told all her friends about how “AR” stands for ArmaLite and that her friends want to meet up at a local range to do some shooting.
Geometric progression, my friends – that’s how it’s done.
So sound off on social media, fight back against the ignorance, stand up for our Constitutional rights but do it respectfully and tailor your response to each individual person. Try to recognize the subtle cues your opponent gives out. Are they a mom? Talk about defending their kids. Are they a hunter? Discuss how hunting is conservation and the Second Amendment wasn’t written because the whitetails were coming. Are they from the UK? Try this:
https://twitter.com/g22dude11/status/1011992406722531333
The Constitution was written IN another age, not FOR another age.
Fixed it for ya, mate.— BOOMER'62 (@TADinKaty) June 27, 2018
Better to be a slave to outdated ideas than to be an actual slave.
💥🔫 😀
— President-elect Redcloak the Unruly (@BrewingAle) June 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/g22dude11/status/1011990215093866497
But remember, it’s also smart to be cognizant of where the conversation is going in order to recognize when to end the discussion on a high note.
Thanks to my firearms, I don’t answer to you. 😘 https://t.co/aZm44pqy8Q
— It’s Just Jenn (@JennJacques) June 27, 2018
See you on social media!