Cultural shifts relating to firearms

Decent points. We will just have to see how this plays out. I agree that Beto has little chance and his gun stance should be brought up in strong but calm matter. A decisive defeat might feed into strategists informing their candidates to wind this point down. The push back of 'woke' rhetoric is surfacing in a good deal of Democratic thought and a similar trend on guns might be in the offing.

MedWheeler said:

AlexanderA writes:



A lack of desire to be harassed and vilified plays a huge part in gun owners' keeping a low profile.

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So as gun owners we should keep ourselves in the "closet"...?

Education is the best long-term solution to this problem. States that are gun friendly must impose a Bill of Rights and a 2nd Amendment class. This includes a field trip to a shooting range. On the public side, clubs and tournaments need to be organized to encourage the sport. I tried this in CA right before the pandemic and lockdown (bad timing) but most clubs around anti-gun areas didn't want to get involved. Even the American Legion turned down the idea. One reason was political backlash. Living in CA, to me, the antigun forces are synonymous with the Democratic Party. They close good ranges and clubs that had programs that taught gun safety to the Public and then closed it down. San Jose is an example. As you recall they want to require gun insurance. Whatever the CA Democrats want, Democrats will eventually want to try in your State.

There has been a cultural shift in attitudes toward firearms. Largely due to a concerted attack from the anti individual faction. There is a undertone of 'good people don't own firearms' or 'firearms are evil' continually broadcast in this nation. And it has been for the past eight or nine decades.

That's why one sees signs on businesses baring weapon possession. No attention is paid to the reality criminals will not obey such signs.

The current undertone is individual citizens should not own or possess firearms as doing so will make them evil. This totally ignores the reality of crimes come from human intent and not instrumentality.

IMHO it goes back and forth. The proliferation of CCW laws, the growing number of women, new citizens taking up the shooting sports is a good sign.

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

new citizens taking up the shooting sports is a good sign.

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But the new owners are not buying guns in order to participate in sport shooting. Maybe they'll do some target shooting as training for self defense, but I doubt that many would do even that.

Here's the thing: the 2nd Amendment is not about hunting or sport shooting! The new wave of gun ownership is actually closer to the intent of the 2nd Amendment, and as such strengthens the position of gun ownership.

Shanghai McCoy writes:

(to my)

>>A lack of desire to be harassed and vilified plays a huge part in gun owners' keeping a low profile.<<

So as gun owners we should keep ourselves in the "closet"...?

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Regardless of whether or not you think we should, many of us are, and for understandable reasons. I never said "we should." I just know what kind of attention that seeking, well, attention, often gets.

AlexanderA said:

On the other hand, "the left" is neutral on guns

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Horse hockey. The "left" is the 2A enemy. The only person who would deny such is sympathetic to the left.

There are members of the left and right who are antithetical to gun rights. Granted those who classify themselves as left are more likely to be such but there are plenty on the right. Now you might say that they are not your kind of 'right' but so what on that. The point is that we should make gun rights independent of tribal horse poop. It should acknowledged as a right all support.

Something that might not be considered is that the teacher can be asking a question to improve the student's performance. As an example, in the student presentation of their Stock Market Game's portfolio. There was a group that was doing very well in the class. However, the presentation was flat. So yes, I did ask something, to help their presentation, that I hadn't asked the other, mostly poorer performing groups. I asked them, "If you had to sell one of the holdings in your portfolio, what would it be?"

They really came alive with that question. It clearly engaged them, and the rest of the class, as they answered the question with a lot of detail.

Yes, Stock Market Game, I realize that some here are offended that something other than the 3-Rs' is being taught, or that classes are not purely Chalk-n-Talk. Things like Stock Market Game are what you get when you 1. Hire an MBA to teach 6-8, and 2. tell that person to come up with an elective class, with less than a weeks notice.

A similar thing might happen with a 2nd amendment presentation. I might also ask a question, that I know the kid can knock out of the park, just to make clear that I am not going to go easy on kids who bring up my pet topics. an example of that was a kid, in a personal finance class, that made a presentation (yes, our school is big on presentations). She talked about the savings from riding a bicycle instead of driving (spoiler, I commute on my bicycle unless it is raining, or I have something heavy to carry). I didn't want it to look like I was just giving her a good grade for picking something that I am interested in, so I asked her, "does it really save any money if you don't get rid of a car when you get the bicycle?"

She handled the question well and overall, the presentation was good, for her class level and the class as a whole.

I, as a known gun nut, have been asked to cover the social studies (history) class for the 2nd amendment. That is similar to when they ask the local newspaper publisher to come in when they cover the Freedom of The Press portion of the first.

SunnySlopes said:

Horse hockey. The "left" is the 2A enemy.

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Depends on how you define "the left." I define "the left" in terms of economic policy. I think I explained before where the gun-grabbers come from, and they are your middle-class, centrist neighbors. Real ideological socialists would tend to follow Karl Marx's advice and be pro-gun.

AlexanderA said:

Depends on how you define "the left." I define "the left" in terms of economic policy. I think I explained before where the gun-grabbers come from, and they are your middle-class, centrist neighbors. Real ideological socialists would tend to follow Karl Marx's advice and be pro-gun.

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Leftists are leftists. Liberalism is the bane of civilization and their poison is not confined to economics or to gun control. And in spite of the blathering to the contrary, a primary platform of liberals/liberalism has always been an assault upon the second amendment.

Just because a liberal has suddenly discovered guns does not make him a conservative.

To discuss this in all honesty will doubtless incur censure, since liberals demand monologue, not dialogue.

There is a big difference between "staying in the closet" and being low keyed and discreet. Dean Grennell wrote that he had no NRA/RKBA, etc. bumper stickers on his cars, saw no need to attract attention,