Dave Kopel still writes the interesting piece.

[alan]

http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel051403.asp

 

[Gordy Wesen]

It will be interesting to see if they ever wake up.
As for the line: "like homosexuals in Oklahoma in 1950, feel so intimidated by the hostility of the surrounding culture that they must be careful not to expose themselves" I can only express disdain.
Comparing homos to gun owners or blacks to falsely inflate their social standing is odious, diabolical and disingenuous.

 

[Pendragon]

Or maybe you just have a problem with "homos".

To be sure, the present circumstances in Britain are awful. A world-class British rifle shooter explained to me that he never tells ordinary people that he is a marksman, for fear of their reaction. British shooters today, like homosexuals in Oklahoma in 1950, feel so intimidated by the hostility of the surrounding culture that they must be careful not to expose themselves, except to known members of their minority group.

You really cannot see a valid comparison? Or is it that you approve of the oppression of some groups and not others?

 

[Gray Peterson]

Comparing homos to gun owners or blacks to falsely inflate their social standing is odious, diabolical and disingenuous.

You need to be very careful of what you say. Not every gun owner is a White Heterosexual Male.

 

[roscoe]

Comparing homos to gun owners or blacks to falsely inflate their social standing is odious, diabolical and disingenuous.

This is not the message we need to be sending out.

 

[Khornet]

Kopel's comparison

is perfectly legitimate. Don't pull a Santorum over it, folks. I'm sure many of us can recall, as I can, finding that someone who thought us to be regular folks was shocked to find us to be gun owners. Like finding your friend is a child molester. I clearly recall the look of horror on the face of a classmate when he found out about the real me. Bigotry is bigotry, by whomever toward whomever, and it always expresses itself by restricting rights.

 

[Monte Harrison]

I'm sure many of us can recall, as I can, finding that someone who thought us to be regular folks was shocked to find us to be gun owners.

Reason number 4693 why I thank God every day for making me an Arkie. I have never had an adverse reaction on the part of someone finding out I'm a shooter. The most common reaction, male or female is "Really? What do you shoot?"
But Arkansas notwithstanding, gun owners are most definitely stigmatized and demonized by the LIEberal elite, the mainstream media and the 50% of Americans who let the media do their thinking for them.

As for "homos", it isn't like they woke up one morning and decided to start chasing guys instead of girls. They are what they are, and stigmatizing them as a group is no more right than stigmatizing white middle-aged rural unappologetic southern male gun owners with Confederate ancestors. ME, in other words.

 

[Gordy Wesen]

I'll stick to what I said.
I have zero problems with orientation but I do have problems with the spin for it seeks to create emotional sympathy. Oppression of any minority group for whatever reason is never appropriate but social integration should rise or fall on the merit of the issue and not upon its relationships with other popular activities.
Follow the logic. There are better analogies.
And, I think one could argue that the Oklahoma analogy is itself a misrepresentation and caricature of the issue.
Are there any 70 year old Oklahomans out there who would care to jump in???