How to convince reluctant liberals or moderates of the importance of supporting RKBA

[cyanatic]

This forum is dedicated to activism to promote the RKBA. It is the place to share with others the tools, actions you have taken on behalf of RKBA, or to propose plans on behalf of RKBA.

This is the primary reason I joined this website. I am a member of a number of other firearms related websites where I often go to obtain guidance or information on topics related to firearms. Whether on those sites, in a gun store, or on a range, I have never come across anyone who was unwilling to offer assistance or advice when I asked for it.

The one thing I generally avoid doing is discussing politics or my political affiliation. To many of my fellow firearms owners I am that most despised of creatures often referred to on many website forums as a "liberal" or a "Dumbocrat". But when it comes to RKBA -- and whether anyone chooses to believe it or not -- I stand shoulder to shoulder with my fellow firearms owners on the importance of defending and protecting our Second Amendment rights. It depresses me to see so many liberals (with whom I may share certain opinions on issues unrelated to firearms) dismiss all firearms owners as macho wannabes, knuckle-dragging mouth breathers, anti-government nuts, angry white men, etc. To me, there is nothing more liberal than supporting the Second Amendment, because without it all the other Amendments become mere window dressing.

I have not quite figured out how to convince reluctant liberals or moderates of the importance of supporting RKBA, but I know I'm not going to do it by insulting them. At the very least, and using hso's suggested letter as a template to work from, I will be sending both emails, and letters, to various representatives regarding HR 4269 (I copied the text of the letter below). There is a group and website called "The Liberal Gun Club", but I don't think the membership holds a candle to the NRA in terms of membership or legislative clout. I am a member of the Illinois Rifle Association, and given the anti-gun atmosphere that exists these days, I will be renewing an NRA membership that I allowed to lapse a decade ago. I never considered myself a "one issue" voter before, but I have never seen such a threatening campaign against RKBA mounted before. If I have to support candidates whose stance on other issues are in conflict with mine, well... please excuse the pun, but I am just going to have to bite the bullet and cast my vote for respresentatives who are not hell bent on treating the Second Amendment as something evil and not to be considered as important as all of the other Amendments.

 

[hso]

We always see the cliche' "get out of the XYZ party" that some members can't imagine anything more useful to say so we don't need to derail the thread with it yet again. It's been said before, we don't need to say it again (and again and ...) and being the forum equivalent of loud and insistent rhetoric on an old theme it just isn't useful in this discussion.

It isn't that we don't all know that we have members with that opinion, but we do need to come up with something more constructive than the dozen other times we've had this discussion. Being shrill and loud isn't useful when a new member brings this topic up and we will not derail the thread with it in this one.

 

[jaysouth]

At a recent neighborhood party to welcome some new homeowners who had moved here from California, the new neighbors proudly proclaimed they were "life partners".

During the course of many conversations, I volunteered the loan of my ladders, wheelbarrow, etc, the kind of things that new neighbors do. Both were avid cooks and I shared my experiences as a chef in fine dining. Finally, I asked if they would like to go to a shooting range. You would have thought that I asked them to play with rattlesnakes. "No, we don't like guns, there are too many of them".

I politely observed, "when the Klan kicks your door down, the police will be there in just minutes.". "This is Tennessee where the klan was formed."

I got a lot of different looks from the two of them during the rest of the night.

 

[IlikeSA]

Cyanatic, welcome to the site. I've been a member for a long time and lurk more than I post. We all have candidates whose views do not fully align with our own. Thank you for, as you say, biting the bullet.

 

[ilbob]

some people have strong opinions about certain things that they will not change no matter what. you will rarely get them to change. that would force them to admit they may have been wrong and a lot of people with strong opinions are just plain control freaks about certain things and just cannot admit to being wrong.

I would not get real excited about trying to "fix" that situation, as you can't. What you can do is politely invite them to come shooting with you a few times. Concentrate on the shooting and forget the political indoctrination. If nothing else, they may soften a little when they realize it is an activity you enjoy and you are not harming anyone by it. They may even enjoy it themselves which may soften their opinions some.

We don't really need to win people over to our side so much as get the fence sitters nudged just a hair our way. I think we have done a fair job of that despite the rhetoric that the MSM is pushing. I don't think the public at large is buying as much of that vitriol as they once were. But, it has been a long haul and will have to continue.

I suspect people who demand that they be able to buy and carry guns with no background checks and no training because it is a "right" are not helping our cause with the fence sitters that we need to reach. There is no reason we have to demand training as prerequisite to owning or carrying a firearm, but it is a good idea and we ought to be strongly in favor of it even if we are not in favor of mandatory training.

As far as being a dumbocrat, I think there are a bunch of people out there who are neither R or D but self identify as one or the other because the system almost forces one to do so. As a practical matter, you have the 2 options in most elections. In many elections, you have just one option. I don't think it serves any good purpose to call people who are on the right side of an issue one believes in as "dumb" even if their opinions on other issues are misguided.

 

[Apachedriver]

My two cents:
A liberal is different than a Liberal. A classic liberal believes and supports the liberties our country was founded on whereas the beliefs of a Liberal are more in line with the Progressive movement. The second is a very different ideology. Some say an almost religious ideology. You seem like a liberal and not a Liberal.

So, please, continue to exercise your 2A rights along with the rest on the list. In the meantime, if you're a person that moderates can respect, friendships/relationships will be fostered that you and they won't be so apt to discard. People are more open to discussions with friends and closer acquaintances as opposed to outsiders coming into their circle to dictate to them.

My single (inflexible and secular) issue is any curtailment of our Bill of Rights. Everything else is negotiable or at least discussable. If anything, discussions from both sides of the aisle should center on how to better protect our fellow citizens and all our rights; not the one over the other.