Is there a better term than "Law-abiding"?

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Greg M

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Erich Pratt of GOA wrote an article about a week ago (here) which demonstrates the problem with using the term "law-abiding" to descibe people deserving of gun-rights.
This is the solution that works in the real world, where at least two massacres have been prevented by law-abiding gun owners. First there was Joel Myrick, an assistant principal, who defied the law and used his own gun to stop Luke Woodham's shooting spree at a Mississippi high school in 1997.
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After all, someone who defies the law is not law-abiding. Here in Maryland, we are especially subject to becoming technical law-breakers of firearms legislation and so I want to use a different term to describe myself when using a sentence such as "Every law-abiding citizen deserves the right-to-carry" (I actually believe that most "criminals" deserve the right-to-carry also, but that's another topic).
So here are my choices:
1. Decent citizen. Decent -- Characterized by conformity to recognized standards of propriety or morality.
2. Upstanding citizen. Upstanding -- Morally upright; honest.
3. Respectable citizen. Respectable -- Of or appropriate to good or proper behavior or conventional conduct.
4. Good citizen. Good -- Of moral excellence; upright.
5. Honorable citizen. Honorable -- Possessing and characterized by honor.
6. Upright citizen. Upright -- Adhering strictly to moral principles; righteous.

Any comments or other suggestions?

Greg
 
Regardless of the merit of the argument, the term "law-abiding" is commonly accepted as referring to one's life history and reputation.

It all works until "the law" gets crosswise with reality.

Art
 
Law Abiding or Politically Correct?

Are the PC police invading THR? I am always suspicious of attempts to change accepted terminology for trivial reasons. In the context of this forums discussion I think it is intuitively obvious to the overwhelming vast majority of participants what "law abiding" means. I understand law abiding to mean a person who obeys the law and respects the law as a vehicle to protect the innocent members of our society from acts of injustice. I also understand that in the context of a discussion of gun rights that this person may inadvertantly or by design violate a local handgun rule. Example, you do not have a ccw but are returning from the range and legally transporting your weapons and ammo. You witness a violent crime and in response you arm yourself to stop an assault. Technically you have broken the letter of the law, but the spirit of law remains intact. You are a law abiding citizen who is doing his duty to society. You are also violating CCW law in your state.

To find an alternate phrase is trivial and will not change one bit of the substance. It only serves to confuse some and give a false sense of accomplishment to others.

Rule of thumb: When you find yourself parsing words to make a point, you've already lost the arguement.
 
We need to find a replacement for "law-abiding", but only because whenever one of our side says that "law-abiding gunowners don't commit crimes" or "law-abiding citizens don't abuse their CCWs", it gets repetitive.

Believe it or not, that kind of repetition can make people roll their eyes and ignore the facts. It triggers kiind of a psychological response - "Here we go again with those gun nuts". Members of my club have written several letters to our campus newspaper, and I've noticed this effect.
 
Are the PC police invading THR?
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I appreciate your comments, MikeIsaj, but I have never been accused of being PC. Anal, yes. PC, no.
I'll point out that here in Maryland, if I needed to stop to pee on the way home from the range, I would be violating the law. Your point is well taken, though. Being an engineer, I tend to get wrapped up in the details :) .

Greg
 
This refactoring of phrase is actually reasonable.

"Law abiding" citizens who own guns do not lose their "decent and honorable" nature when the law changes and no longer recognizes or protects their right of arms.

Such folks who chose to remain armed in the face of laws demanding otherwise no longer "abide in the law", and yet in so doing, they do not acquire the characteristics of sociopathic criminality we all detest.

I recall a citizen/police interaction that was reported from (iirc) CT. The citizen failed to dot some trivial I or cross some meaningless T, and complained to the arresting officer that he was a law abiding citizen. The arresting officer replied, "not anymore, you're not."


In these cases, it is not the citizen's fault, for they are in the right. it is the law's fault, for diverging from that which is right.
 
constitutional

That way those people who are constitutional shall also be noticed upholding and championing the original bill of rights.
 
"Law-abiding" is a hackneyed, overused phrase that could use updating. It would help us to find a more efficient, effective description of ourselves. :)
 
I don't have a problem with the phrase "law-abiding." I could switch to "lawful," which has the advantage of being shorter.

Believe it or not, that kind of repetition can make people roll their eyes and ignore the facts. It triggers kiind of a psychological response - "Here we go again with those gun nuts".
Click to expand...

I believe you; I wonder, however, whether people of that sort are susceptible to reason in the oft-cited "first place." People who want to quibble over the finest points of redundance don't impress me as likely candidates for intellectual and/or moral growth.
 
Why limit yourself? Use them all. That reduces the repetition factor, and any of them will get the point across. They all mean "not criminal scum", so just pick the one that seems most appropriate to the circumstances.
 
How about "Responsible Citizen"????? (Or substitute "Person".)

The connotation for me is someone who follows the rules, is reliable, can be trusted...physically fit, mentally alert, and morally straight. :rolleyes:
 
For quite a few years I have made it a point to replace the words "law abiding" with "peaceful."

For some reason I equate "law abiding" with "tax payer." I don't wish my status of citizenship to be devolved to the point of an aphid being milked by ants.

Rick
 
Premise correct?

I look askance at Mr. Pratt's original assertion:
First there was Joel Myrick, an assistant principal, who defied the law and used his own gun to stop ...
Click to expand...
If the accounts I read were correct (granted, that's a biggie), Myrick parked
a quarter mile from the school because his rifle was in his pickup. If he had really
"defied" the law he would not have had to run the quarter mile to that truck and then
back to retrieve his weapon. If he had "defied" the no-gun zone, he would have had
weapon sooner and saved more lives/injuries.

I suppose you could make a good argument that retrieving the rifle after the shooting
had started was "defying" the law but...

YMMV,
Peet
 
What is wrong with any of the following, depending on circumstance;

A Citizen

American Citizen

Private Citizen

Foreign Visitor

Legal Immigrant

Illegal Immigrant

They don't have to be law-abiding, just doing what is right, at the time.
 
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