Why don't we, as gun owners...

[swopjan]

Take the Marine Corps approach to the gun rights battle? Hearts and minds?

I've been stewing on this idea for a couple days now. There was a recent anti-gun video that featured a whole lot of celebrities, which probably did wonders for the anti's, especially as it appeals to the younger potential voters. Gun owners have refuted it with plenty of spoofs, logic and examples of hypocrisy, but nobody went to the celebrities and said "Look, this is what guns are for. This is why I like them. Why don't we go to the range?" The anti's have plenty of poster children. There are pro-gun celebrities here and there but most are not as outspoken and nowhere near as organized as anti-2nd Amendment organizations.

Something could be set up as a non-profit, operating on donations of guns, ammo and money (for more guns and ammo!). Change a celebrity mind, or a journalists' mind, or a politician's mind, and suddenly we have supporters with connections and plenty of what amounts to free advertising for the second amendment.

Normally I sit on an idea until I can get it started myself, but I work 60 hours a week, minimum, to be this poor and I simply don't have the resources nor do I want to wait to strengthen the 2nd Amendment.

 

[BPowderkeg]

There was a recent anti-gun video that featured a whole lot of celebrities,

"celebrities", therein lies the problem !! people who are "gun lovers" and waste their money going to movies those "celebrities" make are the biggest HYPOCRITES anywhere in this great country, why do gun people love to watch their movies which most depict violence with guns, yet despise the ANTI stance of actors who hate guns.

can anyone explain to me why you* spend your hard earned money going to a movie where there is a constant flow of violence with guns acted out by gun HATING actors/actresses ?? then in real life those same people are demanding strict gun control/ban/confiscation/etc., etc.

*"you".., meaning: general population, no one in particular.

 

[rickyrick]

People as a whole will follow whatever they believe as a norm, popular or hip. Celebrities have too much influence in my book.

What's "in" at certain moments in history have brought entire nations to evil, started civil wars and world wars.

I took on an anti hunting group recently, and it turns out that most were just jumping on the band wagon because it sounded right to them. They would spew out nonsense, lies and made up facts because that was the information given too them by their leaders. The key to winning the debate is to present actual sourced facts, leaving all emotion aside. Antis let emotion dictate their words.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with opposing something as long as you leave emotion out of the argument and present facts. Honestly explaining why you oppose something helps too.

I read anti gun stuff and I really feel that they are attempting to ban a type of people based on stereotypes, it just so happens that guns is the way to it.

 

[tet4]

Ah, celebrities. Like these?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64G5FfG2Xpg

Oh, you don't mean the hypocrites, like these, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRlpRcorEU

Maybe we should hold our celebrities, journalists, public figures and politicians accountable for their horrible, horrible record of encouraging and enabling violent, evil use of guns.

Every day people make the logical case of proper use of weapons and the celebrities, journalists, etc just don't listen. It's time we expose them for what they really are.

 

[Frank Ettin]

I don't really see us winning over celebrities, but there are other "hearts and minds to win over. So lets' all --

[1] Bring new people into guns, shooting and the shooting sports and help inculcate them in our culture of responsible gun ownership. (As a coach and instructor I have, without compensation, in the last ten years introduced hundreds of people to guns and shooting.)

[2] Be ourselves good ambassadors for shooting and gun ownership -- dispelling the negative stereotypes many members of the public have of gun owners.

It's fashionable to blame politicians for restrictive gun laws. But politicians are interested in getting elected and re-elected. So what it really comes down to is our neighbors, the people in our communities, the people in our towns, the people we work with, the people we see at the mall, etc. If enough of our neighbors, enough of the people in our communities, enough of the people in our towns, enough of the people we work with, enough of the people we see at the mall, etc., don't like guns, and don't trust the rest of us with them, politicians who take anti-gun stands can get elected and re-elected (and bureaucrats who take anti-gun stands can keep their jobs).

So we need to remember that part of the battle to keep our guns needs to start with our neighbors, the people in our communities, the people in our towns, the people we work with, the people we see at the mall, etc.