Trouble at work from anti-gunner

P

petej88

New member
Recently at work, a fellow co-worker who was sitting near me, was talking to another co-worker. At one point he jokingly said, "Pete has guns. Make sure you stay on his good side so he doesn't come to work and blow us away". How do you think that made me feel? I felt betrayed and absolutely sick about it.

I talked to this co-worker a little while later and asked why he said such a thing. After all, we've worked together very well for several years. He simply said, "Oh, I'm not afraid of you. I was just kidding".

Well, how do you think this plays out in people's minds? If he keeps saying such things enough, it may in time become a fact in some people's minds. Eventually, this simple jest could cause a harmful snowball effect. That's the political climate I live in. Do I need to be a closet gun owner like several others in my work area that I happen to know about? What is the solution?
 
My response would be, to the third party...

Yep, I've got guns, but Pete doesn't. So, if you're looking for some easy cash some night, you can shake him down. He won't put up much of a fight, he's just a Nancyboy.
 
Invite him to the range. Tell folks this (got this elsewhere):

Your wife and 10 year old daughter leave the mall. They see a scruffy weird kid who gives your kid the lacivisous tongue lick. Your family hurries to the car and drives off.

As they proceed for awhile, they see a car with Lickboy
following them.

They are far from home but equidistant from two house.

Mine - gun boy or Nancy boy.

What's your call?
 
I take ribbings all of the time for my political beliefs and firearms ownership. Grow yourself a sense of humor.
 
There was a great article posted here the other day from the JPFO entitled, "Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality".

In a nutshell, anti-gun people attempt to project their own insecurities upon us. In other words, your joking 'friend' is more likely to be the one to come to work and 'blow everyone away' than you are.

What this person's statement tells us that your 'friend' has actually thought about blowing everyone away and is acting out his/her intentions by poking fun at you.

"Projection is a defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological mechanisms that protect us from feelings that we cannot consciously accept. They operate without our awareness, so that we don't have to deal consciously with "forbidden" feelings and impulses."
 
dvc,

Do you perchance have a pointer to the article you mentioned. I did a search and could not find anything in this forum.
 
I dunno about the sense of humour bit. It all depends where you live. I'd be REAL worried about that cretin if I lived in Massachusetts. They're disarming/jailing people nowadays just for non-PC TALKING for chrissake.

Maybe you should 'splain to him that in today's environment, that type of joking is not appreciated. Maybe that "joke" gets back to some higher up who figures, "Hey, we'd better get rid of X, we may be sued because . . . ".

If he pulls it again, depending upon your outlook, he might become a victim of an industrial "accident", or, tell someone in HR that you resent this type of harassment.

I've rained death on these idiot school superintendent for their Zero Tolerance lunacy, but in this case I think that type of talk should be snuffed out FAST.

Remember, the next big anti-gun push will be to identify beforehand, those "unstable people with guns". "Hey check out X, because Y was saying he might shoot somebody. EVERYBODY knows about it."
 
Petej88,
You're civil rights were violated. Defamation of character. Report it to your HR office, state agencies, federal agencies, congressperson, senators, EEOC, Department of Labor and everyone else you can think of.
None of us has to take that, or any, form of abuse.
If the same comment were directed toward a woman, an Afican-American, a Presbyterian, an immigrant would they be any less offended? Neither should you!
Make your government enforce the laws designed to protect you. And if you're asked if you want to make a federal case out of it you may reply in ALL confidence..."Excuse me, but you already have."
Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi
 
Just ask him politely to cool it.
Explain that you know he's joking, but that's how rumors get started, and soon everyone will believe it.
 
That's why the gun is concealled and the people I work for don't need to know. They're happy, I'm armed, no one is for the worse. Also the reason that I never really associated with people from work; friends can be found elsewhere.

USP45usp
 
I get kidded in the same manner when I'm in the office. No big deal, but I work out of my home, so I don't get it much.
 
You could have said to the second co-worker " My guns are not a problem . Just watch out if ( mouthy co-worker ) follows you into the mens room .He could blow you away also ." Crude but effective .
 
I'm lucky that many of my cow-orkers have at least a bit of a libertarian bent, but when someone does make a joke (around other people or not), I, very deliberately and seriously, explain that it is not funny, and it is not to be joked about.

This seems to work without inflaming the situation more, and usually they "get it".
 
I got my best evaluation after talking about the use of sniper rifles in vigilante justice. :D
I find it amusing that these idiots are afraid of me just because I own guns. Doesn't mean I won't use it to my advantage though. :D

Mikey
 
Hey folks, thanks for all the interesting replies. And I especially like the pointer to the psychiatrist article. Some good quotable stuff there.

I think I have enough good info to tackle the issue on Monday morning in a diplomatic but firm way.
 
I agree with smithz.

Off-hand remarks like this should be handled in a very serious manner. If it were me, I would put a grave look on my face and say, "I don't find that very funny. I consider gun ownership a responsibility that must be taken very seriously. Misusing firearms is nothing to joke about."

And thanks for the link, dvc. It's worth checking out.
 
Lance Gothic has a good point about deformation of character. It might be a good tactic if the behavior continues.

I personally choose not to discuss firearms at work for reasons USP45usp (and others) can readily understand. Better not to draw attention to myself.
 
I would have laughed it off, and probably said something like, "yea, so stop sending me all of those annoying bug reports."

It sounds like a joke, but you have to know the person to know if it was or not. There are people I would take it seriously from and others that I would not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top