While the sticky guide for posting to this forum/area is rather ominous (be sure to read it before responding)--
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313714
--gun owners need to note our own behaviors in aiding and abetting growing anti-gun trends. I post this as a call to arms if you will--for responsible gun owners to consider. I would appreciate an intelligent back and forth around this thread. I've heard all my life that word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising and that you can catch more flies with sugar than vinegar. Perhaps these old aphorisms can help to guide us out of our current anti-gun milieu...
Let us operate on a few assumptions for a moment:
[admittedly these are from my own well-traveled experience]
1) The number of people rearing children to be responsible gun owners seems to have fallen.
2) The number of people who have actually held a gun--much less fired one or enjoyed gun ownership--seems to be shrinking at an alarming rate.
3) We (gun owners) seem to have helped this trend along through over-sized machismo, grunting bravado, and occasional arrogance.
[Too many of my gun shop or show visits have included at least one individual (customer or employee) actively doing all they can to dissuade new (possible) gun owners by dismissing questions and concerns or just being rude.]
4) We (gun owners) have also helped these trends along by behaving like bulls on parade in the few public ranges wherein new gun owners can go to practice and learn.
[Too many times at public ranges, an obviously inexperienced, new gun owner appears--only to be spoken to badly, ignored, or treated like an unwelcome newbie.]
5) We (gun owners) have aided anti-gun organizations with our actions, inactions, and our money. As an example, see James Cameron's script notes for the movie Avatar: http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/j...ron-like-the-redneck-nra-supporters-they-are/
The actual script can be downloaded here:
http://www.foxscreenings.com/media/pdf/JamesCameronAVATAR.pdf
[And you'll also be viewing the reason I'm boycotting the movie.]
Based on the above statements/assumptions of varying quality and articulation--
A) I'm interested in hearing what others are noticing in their lives as gun owners (new and long-term) regarding the downward trend of gun ownership (real or imagined by popular media and politicians).
B) I'm interested in other corporate entities that need to be spoken to by losing gun owners' business (With a link to information regarding the entity's anti-gun ownership stance). I'll trust the moderators to remove posts lacking a news article, corporate press release, or other relatively reliable source regarding the business or business owner's anti-gun stance.
C) What other forms of ‘new activism’ can we use to help the cause of 2nd amendment rights? An operating definition of ‘new activism’ would include legal, ethical, and moral methods to help reassure the populace (and counter anti-gun propaganda) that gun owners are not unreasonable, unintelligent people—that we are a cross-section of the country that encompasses intelligent, educated citizens—that we are a welcoming community of good people willing to include and assist other citizens.
I post all of the above, because we cannot win the fight for 2nd amendment rights without showing what sort of people we really are, rather than allowing ourselves to be grouped together into a large, easily demonized, marginal group.
Thanks for your time and your thoughts.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313714
--gun owners need to note our own behaviors in aiding and abetting growing anti-gun trends. I post this as a call to arms if you will--for responsible gun owners to consider. I would appreciate an intelligent back and forth around this thread. I've heard all my life that word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising and that you can catch more flies with sugar than vinegar. Perhaps these old aphorisms can help to guide us out of our current anti-gun milieu...
Let us operate on a few assumptions for a moment:
[admittedly these are from my own well-traveled experience]
1) The number of people rearing children to be responsible gun owners seems to have fallen.
2) The number of people who have actually held a gun--much less fired one or enjoyed gun ownership--seems to be shrinking at an alarming rate.
3) We (gun owners) seem to have helped this trend along through over-sized machismo, grunting bravado, and occasional arrogance.
[Too many of my gun shop or show visits have included at least one individual (customer or employee) actively doing all they can to dissuade new (possible) gun owners by dismissing questions and concerns or just being rude.]
4) We (gun owners) have also helped these trends along by behaving like bulls on parade in the few public ranges wherein new gun owners can go to practice and learn.
[Too many times at public ranges, an obviously inexperienced, new gun owner appears--only to be spoken to badly, ignored, or treated like an unwelcome newbie.]
5) We (gun owners) have aided anti-gun organizations with our actions, inactions, and our money. As an example, see James Cameron's script notes for the movie Avatar: http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/j...ron-like-the-redneck-nra-supporters-they-are/
The actual script can be downloaded here:
http://www.foxscreenings.com/media/pdf/JamesCameronAVATAR.pdf
[And you'll also be viewing the reason I'm boycotting the movie.]
Based on the above statements/assumptions of varying quality and articulation--
A) I'm interested in hearing what others are noticing in their lives as gun owners (new and long-term) regarding the downward trend of gun ownership (real or imagined by popular media and politicians).
B) I'm interested in other corporate entities that need to be spoken to by losing gun owners' business (With a link to information regarding the entity's anti-gun ownership stance). I'll trust the moderators to remove posts lacking a news article, corporate press release, or other relatively reliable source regarding the business or business owner's anti-gun stance.
C) What other forms of ‘new activism’ can we use to help the cause of 2nd amendment rights? An operating definition of ‘new activism’ would include legal, ethical, and moral methods to help reassure the populace (and counter anti-gun propaganda) that gun owners are not unreasonable, unintelligent people—that we are a cross-section of the country that encompasses intelligent, educated citizens—that we are a welcoming community of good people willing to include and assist other citizens.
I post all of the above, because we cannot win the fight for 2nd amendment rights without showing what sort of people we really are, rather than allowing ourselves to be grouped together into a large, easily demonized, marginal group.
Thanks for your time and your thoughts.