Tom Gresham nailed it today

They are afraid of gun owners. Maybe they should be. They think all gun owners are a fuse that just hasn't been lit yet.

Anyone got a match?

If they understood that the very existence of guns in the hands of citizens is indirectly keeping them safe, they would thank us. However, very few will ever come to understand. They base their thoughts on their heart-strings and irrational fear of responsable people. We base our ownership of guns to protect those that play upon our heart-strings, and a rational fear of dangerous people.

I am somewhat hesitant to claim that I am hated because of my gun ownership. Misunderstood-definately, feared-of course, but hated, perhaps only by some.

To claim that we are hated, only brings to mind the cheap tactic of the homosexual agenda. I'm not trying to bash them, merely point out their weak tactic to quickly claim being hated by anyone who believes homosexuality is wrong or sinful. I think we should be very careful of how much we claim to be hated.

By and large, they hate seeing freedom exercised in a way that runs afoul of their utopian agenda.

There many individual exceptions, but by and large, hardcore antis are mostly hardcore centralists who believe that the federal government is and should be the answer to all questions, the solution to all problems, and the only religion anyone needs.

Feeling that way pretty much means they have to hate and fear gun owners. There are once again individual exceptions, but gun owners are, by and large, not with their program and are therefore the enemy of their program.

I haven't heard Tom yet, I listen to his podcast while commuting so it will be tomorrow. He has a pretty good head on his shoulders so his reasoning should be interesting.

This very true, and also why, despite many protestations to the contrary, it is so hard to separate gun control and ownership from the libertarian/statist debate of larger issues. Gun control is indeed about control. But control to what end? To the end of them being able to force anything else down our throats with little resistance. Anything from nationalizing car companies and health care to outrageous taxes, censorship of the internet, and rules about what car you can drive and what light bulbs you can use. They mean to be masters. They mean to manage every meaningful decision you could ever make regarding your life or that of your children or family. And they know that gun ownership is our final trump card. They've been very successful buying off a huge portion of the population with "free" phones and "free" health care, but they know there will always be a sizable amount of people that oppose these actions towards a true statist country. This is why so many people on that side of the political spectrum oppose gun ownership. Guns are our teeth. Guns give our "NO" a cutting edge. They hate us, they hate our opposition to their glorious collectivist worldview, and they hate the fact we can enforce our own ideas and protect our liberties with real force. We're in their way.

I've said it before & will say it again, but the best, simplest and most rewarding thing any of us can do----is to take an 'anti' out for a day of shooting. Preferably outdoors some where, off the beaten path, surrounded by nature. Bring your toys, some good music, some good food and your relaxed, calming self. Walk & talk them thru the whole 'gun experience' slowly, answer their questions, explain safety, maybe some Americana-style history of how we got where we are, things like that. Make it a 'play date' of sorts for grown-ups, make it enjoyable, make them feel safe and most importantly....make them smile. You'd be absolutely amazed on what sort of transformations you may see in people after they've launched a few dozen rounds down hill into a grapefruit or a tin can or a water bottle or a paper target. I've seen it done myself at least 2 dozen times and it's a fantastic feeling----especially when they start calling you up a week later and ask for advice on purchasing their first firearm.

Demystifying guns and gun ownership to people who currently haven't a clue about them should be near the top of our To Do Lists....

ElMariachi is right. The best way to win THE arguement with an anti-2ndA person is to invite him/her to a 'shooting' exercise with alot of 'welcome' attitude on our part.
In that I reside in Southeastern Virginia, I am yet to run into an anti-2ndA person.

the best, simplest and most rewarding thing any of us can do----is to take an 'anti' out for a day of shooting. Preferably outdoors some where, off the beaten path, surrounded by nature

Click to expand...

For a while, I was worried where you were going with that....

Had ya going for as minute?.....

There IS no way to win an arguement with an anti 2A.
You can't get anywhere with someone that is not thinking for themselves.
When they don't use their own minds to rationalize by using logic, and come to their conclusions simply by what they are fed by the media, they lose the ability to absorb anything you might try to teach them.

I was referring more to the 'anti gun' crowd. Huge difference. Well, maybe not huge, but they're usually much more malleable......

I think there's a lot of emotion and irrationality on the part of a lot of anti-gun folks. For example, the Oak Harbor city councilman who left the meeting because a guy was legally carrying concealed. First, he's a veteran who has already put his life on the line to preserve that councilman's way of life. Second, he's been further cleared by the state as having no criminal history. If his honorable service isn't enough proof of his character, the very fact that he has a valid CPL is further evidence. Yet this public servant couldn't bear to be in the room with the man. Why? The man would probably feel perfectly comfortable around a random police officer that he doesn't personally know. Even though there is no quantifiable difference between the two.

This kind of irrational thinking is not easy to overcome. These people have a magical world view. The gun is an evil object that tempts anyone carrying it to slaughter people like Elric's Stormbringer, yet if you have a uniform on or a badge, you can somehow hold that evil influence at bay. What's worse, is that many of them think they're somehow more qualified to judge these issues than the rest of us. It's like they're temporary NFL refs or something.

They think others will act as they feel, deep down inside, they would act themselves...

Nick

For years now I have been saying that there are a certain group of people who hate anyone who is more responsible, industrious, civic-minded, etc. than they are. They hate being shown as the cowards they are.

There IS no way to win an arguement with an anti 2A.

Click to expand...

Well, actually there is, but it basically involves saying "I will not permit you to force anything upon me" and walking away.

Sorry, but wrong.

They are not afraid of gun owners nor hate them or guns.

They are afraid of and hate freedom. Freedom from restrictions, laws and regulations.

It scares the bejesus out of them.

Liberals make an interesting bunch, gun owner hating liberals are even worse. They are indeed the epitome of hypocrisy. Progressives certainly don't have any problem limiting other people's freedom. But when they have some perceived loss of freedom, they scream and holler. Oh they REALLY enjoy their freedoms from marrying whomever to smoking weed to 90% of our Constitution - but the bottom line will they fight for those freedoms? Most won't. By far. A few might make a bomb or two. But guns to fight for freedom? That will never happen in a million years.

From BLB68:
I think there's a lot of emotion and irrationality on the part of a lot of anti-gun folks. For example, the Oak Harbor city councilman who left the meeting because a guy was legally carrying concealed. First, he's a veteran who has already put his life on the line to preserve that councilman's way of life. Second, he's been further cleared by the state as having no criminal history. If his honorable service isn't enough proof of his character, the very fact that he has a valid CPL is further evidence. Yet this public servant couldn't bear to be in the room with the man. Why? The man would probably feel perfectly comfortable around a random police officer that he doesn't personally know. Even though there is no quantifiable difference between the two.

This kind of irrational thinking is not easy to overcome. These people have a magical world view. The gun is an evil object that tempts anyone carrying it to slaughter people like Elric's Stormbringer, yet if you have a uniform on or a badge, you can somehow hold that evil influence at bay. What's worse, is that many of them think they're somehow more qualified to judge these issues than the rest of us. It's like they're temporary NFL refs or something.

Click to expand...

For those that may have not seen this........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKpLhNiC8zg

Go Mayor Dudley! I have family in Oak Harbor, or near there.

I wonder what happened with the other two council members...did they get a refresher on the oaths they swore?

These people worship the federal government. Owning a firearm is the ultimate expression of individual freedom and responsibility. They don't like the idea of a person as a responsible individual. They get their power from people who depend on the government. If you own a firearm you are that much less dependent on government. They are elitists who think most people are too stupid to be responsible with a firearm.

I disagree that taking them shooting will help. I took one of my lefty family members shooting twice. He enjoyed it, but he still refuses to own a firearm and he voted for the guys in the white house. He also grew up around firearms.

It is very often the case that they have a preconceived notion of what a gun owner is, and how they look and act. My wife, an elementary school teacher, shocked a whole table of other teachers one day. There were several teachers talking about how they could not stand guns and how they could not understand why anyone would ever need to own one. She let them know that she had a Handgun Carry Permit (HCP) and gave a couple of reasons why. It opened a few eyes and changed a few minds. They were able to put a face with "gun owner" and "concealed carry permit holder". It was not the face they were expecting. Several are now trying to get their HCP.

If the only image you have of a gun owner is what you see on TV shows, in the news, and in the movies you probably don't want people to have guns.

Jim

Taking an anti shooting is not guaranteed to change anything. While working at Wal-Mart I took many fellow-employees shooting in the Utah mountains. None were anti-gun. One who went with me a few times became a good friend. Last week he posted on my Facebook, "Civilians don't need assault weapons. They do more harm than good in America." I seriously thought he was joking. He wasn't. I replied, "Remember that .22 of mine you liked shooting so much(it's a 10/22, and was in fact his favorite). That gun, with the 25rd magazine, is considered an "assault rifle" in the proposed ban." He replied that he wouldn't "argue this with you. We have an army, civilians don't need assault weapons." I responded, telling him he was believing media bs, the army was govt controlled, he was making an emotion not factual statement, etc. The point is, I was amazed that my good friend would say something that ignorant and stupid, directly aimed at me. Knowing that I LOVE guns and that they are a big part of my life. He's not anti-gun. He likes them. He's a hunter. Obama is just doing a masterful job of lying to and dividing pro-gun people. He doesn't need anti-gunners. I'm worried.