giggitygiggity
Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
- Messages
- 2,253
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. Every time that we face gun control legislation, the advice is normally along the lines of "write to your politicians and make sure they know how you feel" or "join the NRA." While I do not find harm in doing so (provided correspondence is clear, concise, and respectful), I believe it has little, if any impact. The majority of politicians have a stance, good or bad, on gun control. It is unlikely that John Smith's letter from Normalville, USA is not going to sway a politician's stance one way or another. Even a flood of letters from constituents is unlikely to make a difference because the politician will likely know the composition of his constituency and already understand the political capital that will be gained/lost as a result of supporting or fighting gun control legislation.
Letters are fine, but I believe that we can achieve greater effects by contacting political donors and making firearms more mainstream. What do I mean by this?
With respect to donors, political donors are often wealthy business owners. Contact those business owners, if we know their 2A stance, either thank them for their support or note that you will no longer patronize their business as a result of their anti-gun stance. Any claims about not patronizing the business must be acted upon; actually refuse to support their businesses. As we saw, Dick's Sporting Goods betrayed 2A supporters and has suffered as a result.
Regarding making firearms more mainstream, think of how often you see advertisements, billboards, radio messages, commercials, etc for Pepsi, Coke, Ford, Chevy, etc. Seeing an ad for the newest handgun should be as commonplace as seeing an ad for the newest flavor of Doritos. Additionally, we must face the reality that we are in a day and age in which mindless millennials will follow the trends of celebrities. We need celebrities to be vocal advocates of the 2A. Keneau Reeves, Clint Eastwood, possibly Kanye West, possibly the Kardashians, etc. These are celebrities that are or might be pro 2A which may allow 2A to establish a foothold in celebrity culture. As juvenile as it is, people often think "[insert celebrity name] likes AR-15s... they must be cool. I want one!" We need to support these celebrities, even if it is by writing a letter or telling the that we appreciate them standing up for 2A advocates.
Furthermore, the 2A should be an everybody issue. This should not be an issue only affecting conservatives/Republicans. We cannot promote the idea that the 2A only appeals to conservatives/Republicans. The 2A is for Democrats, women, gays/trans/etc, immigrants, Christians/Muslims, etc. While most 2A supporters are conservatives/Republicans, we need to let our guard down and not be hesitant to invite someone shooting or teach them about reloading. By secluding people who do not perfectly fit the conservative/Republican mold, we are denying ourselves additional 2A supporters.
Also, we need 2A to be a civil rights issue. People/businesses that create "gun free zones", refuse to provide service to 2A supporters, etc need to be called out for discriminatory practices. Whether someone is treated differently because of their race, religion, or their 2A stance, this needs to be categorized as a discriminatory practice and treated as a civil rights violation.
Finally, if we are ever so unfortunate to face legal action or a gun-related tragedy (such as a mass shooting), we need to tell our stories to everyone. For instance, the media swarms to family members of mass shooting victims and mines anti-2A statements just as if they were mining gold. How profound would it be if a parent said something along the lines of "I don't blame guns. I blame politicians for creating gun control legislation which denied my child their right to carry a firearm and defend him/herself. The news and politicians should be ashamed. If anything, this shooting should highlight the need for pro 2A legislation."? Granted, this may have been said, but if it's not live, most media outlets will conveniently ignore such an interview.
Anyways, these are just my thoughts. What I do know is that there is a gun control storm brewing and simply writing to politicians receives canned/expected responses. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Letters are fine, but I believe that we can achieve greater effects by contacting political donors and making firearms more mainstream. What do I mean by this?
With respect to donors, political donors are often wealthy business owners. Contact those business owners, if we know their 2A stance, either thank them for their support or note that you will no longer patronize their business as a result of their anti-gun stance. Any claims about not patronizing the business must be acted upon; actually refuse to support their businesses. As we saw, Dick's Sporting Goods betrayed 2A supporters and has suffered as a result.
Regarding making firearms more mainstream, think of how often you see advertisements, billboards, radio messages, commercials, etc for Pepsi, Coke, Ford, Chevy, etc. Seeing an ad for the newest handgun should be as commonplace as seeing an ad for the newest flavor of Doritos. Additionally, we must face the reality that we are in a day and age in which mindless millennials will follow the trends of celebrities. We need celebrities to be vocal advocates of the 2A. Keneau Reeves, Clint Eastwood, possibly Kanye West, possibly the Kardashians, etc. These are celebrities that are or might be pro 2A which may allow 2A to establish a foothold in celebrity culture. As juvenile as it is, people often think "[insert celebrity name] likes AR-15s... they must be cool. I want one!" We need to support these celebrities, even if it is by writing a letter or telling the that we appreciate them standing up for 2A advocates.
Furthermore, the 2A should be an everybody issue. This should not be an issue only affecting conservatives/Republicans. We cannot promote the idea that the 2A only appeals to conservatives/Republicans. The 2A is for Democrats, women, gays/trans/etc, immigrants, Christians/Muslims, etc. While most 2A supporters are conservatives/Republicans, we need to let our guard down and not be hesitant to invite someone shooting or teach them about reloading. By secluding people who do not perfectly fit the conservative/Republican mold, we are denying ourselves additional 2A supporters.
Also, we need 2A to be a civil rights issue. People/businesses that create "gun free zones", refuse to provide service to 2A supporters, etc need to be called out for discriminatory practices. Whether someone is treated differently because of their race, religion, or their 2A stance, this needs to be categorized as a discriminatory practice and treated as a civil rights violation.
Finally, if we are ever so unfortunate to face legal action or a gun-related tragedy (such as a mass shooting), we need to tell our stories to everyone. For instance, the media swarms to family members of mass shooting victims and mines anti-2A statements just as if they were mining gold. How profound would it be if a parent said something along the lines of "I don't blame guns. I blame politicians for creating gun control legislation which denied my child their right to carry a firearm and defend him/herself. The news and politicians should be ashamed. If anything, this shooting should highlight the need for pro 2A legislation."? Granted, this may have been said, but if it's not live, most media outlets will conveniently ignore such an interview.
Anyways, these are just my thoughts. What I do know is that there is a gun control storm brewing and simply writing to politicians receives canned/expected responses. I'd love to hear your thoughts.