TTAG reader DH writes:
The recent article on your site, Countering the Myths: Notes From a Foot Soldier in the Fight for Gun Rights,” was one that I very much enjoyed. I especially enjoyed it considering the fact that I was once a pro gun control advocate myself at one point. It wasn’t the proudest period of my life looking back on it, but thankfully I’ve seen the light. Still, these articles are very helpful for those of us who are pro gun rights and try their best to have an open discussion with those on the other side. It’s too often that these discussions quickly lead to name calling and flared tempers, particularly when debating with those who simply can’t be swayed . . .
To prove that not everyone on the anti-gun side is a lost cause, I thought you may be interested in seeing this YouTube video. Although we may not be able to convert the “hard core gun control activist”, there are still those who can be swayed with accurate facts, a calm demeanor, and even some actual range time.
This is important too.
http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/kasler-protection.html
(someone posted this in the comments of a previous article, so thanks)
If anyone asks why you need guns, shoot them that link and politely ask them to read the whole thing before they talk to you again.
Great read. Thank you for sharing
I would also run them a copy of Jeff Snyder’s “A Nation of Cowards” (http://jim.com/cowards.htm) and ask them to read the whole thing before they make a final judgment on the value of gun ownership.
John Lott is a national treasure.
Thank God logic got through to this enlightened young man. 🙂
9/11. The one good thing to come out of it is waking a lot of Americans up. We all got mugged that day.
DH, Welcome home!
This video is awesome! I fear however, that a lot of the target audience will have the TL;DR (Too Long Didnt Read) effect due to the video time. Either way, I really enjoyed this and the clear, articulated message it presents. I plan to show it to others that have social media.
Stick to the facts, lay off the rhetoric. Those are the basic principles. Calling everyone who disagrees with you a ‘brain-dead libtard’ does not win hearts and minds and does not sway anyone to the cause. Also, attaching unrelated politics to gun ownership and 2A rights is also driving away potential gun owners and 2A defenders. Same-sex marriage, immigration, foreign policy, abortion, etc. Any “general discussion” area on gun forums repulses most who are not hard-right Republican conservatives. I’m not telling anyone to censor themselves, but maybe consider what others may think. The right-wing circlejerk that most GDs push away more people than you think.
Yeah. Nothing invalidates your point like veering to another topic.
Well reasoned pro-gun message, followed by any sort of other controversy is just going to get your gun message dismissed. 9/11 Truther, Birther, Anti-Vaccer, Global Warming, GMO food, whatever. I’m not saying you can’t believe in that stuff, just can it for now. It dilutes the message and repulses the people who might otherwise listen.
+1. While these other issues do have some indirect relevance to gun culture, I think this is largely true. Thats not to invalidate someone’s passion for some other cause, or their right to speak to it, here or elsewhere, just that we get more done here, and do more good, if we stay on the gun issues.
Big +1 for the call to respect people for their diversity. Individual freedom and right to self-defense is something all colors and political spectrum can agree upon. Its a big tent here in general at TTAG, IMHO.
Occasionally, it appears the person starting the circle jerk is actually a troll trying to discredit the place or stink up the space.
Go figure.
Thank you very much. I am a liberal in most of my positions and I despise the little box that the media have put me in and ultra conservatives have accepted and promoted.”The liberal media” is a myth people. Fox is possibly the most powerful media organization in the world. They love to promote fear of the “others”. I am a liberal. Look that word up in the political sense. I also despise the NRA because they aren’t extreme enough regarding gun rights. Stop placing everyone into little categories that politicians and media have reinforced and start seeing people as individuals. Idiotic comments like ‘libtard’ or conspiracy theories about our president’s place of birth only place you on the outskirts of rational discourse. Don’t limit yourselves to a party line. If you scoff at this, at least think about it.
While I agree with you regarding putting people in a box, you are completely wrong regarding the media. NBC, CBS, ABC and CNN may not meet your definition of “Liberal” but they are strongly biased towards the Democratic Progressive agenda. Watching their gun control propaganda pieces alone should open your eyes and allow you to see behind the curtain. Once it’s pulled back you will no longer take what is given to you as news but instead see what angle is being pushed.
Regarding Fox News, I get it they are biased too. You just don’t like what they are biased against.
Either you believe in the power of the State to master and control your life and others for the collective good, or you believe in the power and rights of the individual to run his life with the government being a servant. The choice is yours. However, if you believe in the supremacy of the state to legislate and promote the collective good, then guns will be in the power of the State and not the individual. The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany had lots of guns, they just were not in the control of private individuals.
@IndianaTom
Nice to see that some people have *all* the answers. :rolleyes:
Re: “Virtual date with Josh…” WTF!
I don’t like intrusive ads. As soon as they start making noise I’m gone. You’ve got content of interest but you’re pushing it way too far.
Adblock plus. No popups, no redirects, no auto start.
Turn off the speakers.
That’s not a reasonable solution, in my opinion. I virtually never turn off my speakers, and when I do, it’s for a good reason, like not waking someone up, not just so I might not hear a random auto play ad.
I would say they definitely aren’t a lost cause. I’ve seen a few former-Antis coming out of the woodwork on TTAG of late. I’m one of them, there are a lot of stories similar to my own I’ve seen there.
There were two things that got me to swing.
A)”No one’s coming for your guns” – debunked by seeing the DiFi video when she said “Mr and Mrs America, turn em all in”
B)Actually getting the statistics from the FBI/DOJ and seeing that crime/gun violence was on a steady decline as gun sales soared. It’s easy to believe the Big Lie when that’s all you get from the mainstream media. We’re in an Information War. Who controls the information controls the power.
1. Be polite.
2. Be focused.
3. Be succinct.
The police have no incentive to deter crime, in fact, they have more incentive to allow crime to increase. Think about it.
Job security.
Bravo, you did your homework well…welcome to the club 🙂
Its very hard to have any kind of conversation with gun control supporters and activists. Its because they lack transparency and integrity in their presentation. Since I have been using social media, I have only had one civil conversation with a gun control supporter. This individual was motivated by wanting to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and I was able to share my ideas. Dont know if I changed her mind but maybe I planted a seed of doubt. But by and large many of the rank and file gun control supporters along with their leaders are little more than a traveling freak show of political pornography. Its hard to have any kind of rational discussions with people who start off calling you ammosexuals, gun filth, redneck Taliban who refuse to answer simple clear cut questions
“But by and large many of the rank and file gun control supporters along with their leaders are little more than a traveling freak show of political pornography. Its hard to have any kind of rational discussions with people who start off calling you ammosexuals, gun filth, redneck Taliban who refuse to answer simple clear cut questions”
True, that stuff gets tiring very quickly. I just avoid the issue unless someone brings it up, make the most pithy, intelligent rebuttal and leave it to the audience to decide who is making actual sense.
I don’t waste time trying to convert anyone. The democratic party will have a very difficult time in the foreseeable future gaining an anti-gun majority in the house of representatives. There is little chance of restrictions being signed into law at the federal level. Sandy Hook was their best chance and they failed, though not for lack of trying. This means the blue states is where the antis will have success. I live in Tennessee, and no politician is going to stand on the floor of either side of the General Assembly and make any serious proposal for gun control.Maybe some democrat from Memphis will try to get their face on the news with some nonsense with no chance of passing, but that’s about it. In summary, I don’t worry about it so much.
While quite true, this neglects the need for more gun legislation. Such as NFA and GCA repeal, and constitutional carry nationwide, etc. “More restrictions” for 50 years needs a few years of “less restrictions”.
I once thought 9 mm pistols should be banned due to their frequency in crime events, but now I merely think the chambering isn’t that great. Discovering the plethora of options, the simplicity of firearms, and the notion they must be available for self defense swayed me. Guns are nearly as unenforceable as fists, they are part of who we are, and we need them. The laws are merely shackles that weight our hands against those who choose to be illegally unencumbered.
Actually, if I was a gun control freak, I would ban small concealable guns which are the ones usually used by most criminals. It is just ridiculous to ban AR-15s, BARs, M60 machine guns, and other large weapons as they just are not really suitable for crime. The problem with any gun control is that guns are easy to make, guns can be stolen from the police and military as in Mexico, the organized criminal drug river will make sure they get distributed, government officials can and will be corrupt (Yee), and criminals do not follow laws.
Nothing wrong with 9mm if you use the right bullet, of which your choices are varied and plentiful.
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