Advice on anti-gun loved ones

[Hawk]

warning - long

I’ve found the miracle of the WWW/Internet, with all the opportunities for research, to be very effective in tripping up anti-gun bigotry. Also, I learned that my left-leaning spouse responds better to questions than arguments. You can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into – they have to do it on their own. The following actually worked:

She: GUNS ARE BAD!!!!
Me: Why?
She: There are thousands of reasons…
Me: I’ll settle for one.
She: 13 children a day…if it saves just one…
Me: How old are the children?
She: It doesn’t say.
Me: I’d like to know. Can you check it? I think the CDC has a javascript mortality applet.
She: The numbers aren’t working…

She: Look. The VPC has a report on Texas CHL – those people are shooting up the state.
Me: Looks like anecdotes – report adjusted for multiple counts, acquittals, etc?
She: I’ll check Texas DPS – they’ve got stats posted in .pdf format.
She: The Texas CHL holders are the most law abiding group in the state…

Rinse, lather, repeat.
Rinse, lather, repeat.

Much later…
She: Why do those manipulative so-and-so’s feel the need to distort things so much? Their basic premise is shaping up to be intellectually bankrupt. I HATE being LIED to.
Me: Whaddya mean, you want to join GOA!?

 

[Russ]

I think all of you pro-gun Democrats need to move to California for awhile and then tell me you're sitll a Democrat.

 

[OF]

She generalizes about "the kind of people who like guns"

That's you she's talkin' about there buddy.

What you have to determine is if this lady has her self-image tied up in philosophies she knows nothing about or not. Lots of 'antis' are as violently, irrationaly anti-whatever as they are due to the fact that their self-image, their sense of self-worth, is directly tied to 'being a certain kind of person' or 'being like a certain kind of person' instead of being who they are: a person.

This is opposed to someone who thinks logically, rationally and incorporates new information into their reality readily and carefully. This later type is the person who eventually becomes wise with age. The former hysterical type will never grow unless they have some sort of major revelation/breakdown at some point.

This is a major consideration when you're deciding to share your life (and eventual, constant growth) with someone.

- Gabe

 

[Bud Wiser]

I can't believe how many folks think this post & its' topic are for real....

 

[OF]

I assume the guy is for real, and even if this is all a big joke, the topic is certainly relevant and plenty of people deal or have dealt with this exact same thing around here...so the conversation is still relevant either way.

What is your point, exactly? Do you have some inside info on this thread, or are you just driving through...

- Gabe

 

[vanbeast]

I can't believe how many folks think this post & its' topic are for real....

Actually, it is completely for real. With this attitude, I don't know what I'd have to do to convince you, but I'm completely serious.

What is it that you don't believe? A liberal who likes guns? A girl who doesn't? A guy who is worried that his girl doesn't like guns? It all seems pretty believable to me.

I don't like people making light of this.

 

[Waitone]

I would say every poster on the thread except one treats the subject matter as real.

We here at the THR tend to take posters at face value until enough evidence accumulates to the contrary.

The problem rings true to quite a few THR'ers hence the positive response.

Hang in there!