My rabidly anti-gun/liberal brother is visiting tomorrow

Status
Not open for further replies.
that link was for midway, the video game programmers. you want midwayUSA...

sorry...that wasn't the response you were looking for. i'm glad to hear the visit is going well so far. as someone who used to spend a decent chunk of family visits arguing over semi-political topics, i second those who have suggested that it's okay to take the high road, even if he thinks he has "won". it took me some time to learn that, but i am a better man for it.

good luck.
 
It'll change when they get to college. My left-wing enviro-nut brother once wrote a paper in school where he proclaimed himself a pro-Bush (41) Republican. Now he's about the most radical leftist I know, and a global warming policy advocate.
Click to expand...

Don't count on it. In high-school I was a left leaning Democrat, after four years of college my views are more Libertarian than anything else, and I share an equal disdain for both major parties.

I've seen the same thing happen to other people, I've seen people go barefoot-protester liberal or Bush-loving gay-bashing Republican. I've seen people not change at all. College won't shift your political views one way or another, it just brings out whatever potential has been building the first 18 years of your life.
 
You could remind him that the Icon of the Democratic party. John F. Kennedy, was a NRA life member, and show him Kennedys personal Garand up for auction. And quote him this -
"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."
-- John F. Kennedy
 
While I wouldn't go waving a Pro-Gun flag around a singing hymns to John Moses Browning, I wouldn't hide what I am or what I believe in either.

If you were gay would your parents ask you to go back into the closet while your brother was visiting?
 
I think we've seen where the gun/politics/religion conversation goes with my brother, we've all learned to avoid those topics, so far, so good.
Click to expand...

I'd bet $1 (big bet) that if you don't play - he won't. In family, I have that if I greet a contentious topic with absolute silence, it tends to get dropped. I would n't do that in political debate, but it works like a charm for me in my highly argumentative family. :)

Mike
 
rather have brother,

Badkarma,

truer words were never spoken,

lost mine to cancer in 94

would give just about anything for him back.

r
 
My "real" mom is about as "democratic" as they come. at least there is no way i'd ever describe her as independent or republican... so that truly only leaves one. If i visit her there are only a few things we can really talk about and all of those have to be about animation, maybe (maybe) a popular movie... if the road is done... erm... IE not much.. because just about everything goes back to politics...

Last time i visited i read an article about how some company .... can't remember the name... had given 5mil to the NAACP because in its history... a history of buying and selling and buying and selling of companies... SOMEWHERE in that history... a company that ended up being part of the current day company... had owned slaves. the NAACP said it wasn't "enough" ...

in the end... the one side of the argument will not agree w/ the other... there is too much pride or something. even when consolations are given... its never enough.. .I'm sure for either side. (sigh) i wish they were. we'd all get along a lot better.

J/Tharg!
 
My sister, who is on the faculty at a private college was stunned when I happened to mention in an email that I had snatched up a gun I was looking for a long time for a great price. She had no idea that I have had at least one since I was 21, and at one time owned over a dozen hanguns. She got all worked up, and when I told her I had SIX, well the tone turned very cold on her end. I guess she forgot the 4 years I worked as an armed casino security guard. And then there's the time I just displayed the DW Model 15 I was carrying, and it prevented two morons from beating me or killing me with aluminum baseball bats. I'll never forget the look on the one's face when he saw it!

So every message she sends me recently has something in it either telling me to be careful, or a link to a news article about some doofus shooting himself. I just ignore them for the most part, it's not worth arguing about.
 
She once told me "I used to be a liberal Democrat. Until i went to work for CPS (Child Protection Services) and found out how bad the liberals have screwed this state up."
Click to expand...

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.;)
 
Yeah your house your rules. I have had some friends who were a little anti but was able to over come that with reason.

The best story was at a wedding we ( my x wife, a friend and I) were talking with this woman who was also in the wedding party. She was telling us how when va became a shall issue state that all these "crazy people" were coming to the courthouse where she was working. Our friend said you mean people like me and showed his permit, my x wife did the same, and finally i did as well. That look was priceless. It was funny to have an anti on the run. lol Patrick
 
What the antis don't accept is that, in reality, the Constitutional is about protecting the right to make personal choices regarding a set of ideals.

We have the right to choose 1) keep and bare firearms, or 2) to NOT keep and bare firearms (individually). The Constitution merely assure our right to make a free choice, and that choice should not be judged by others who disagree.
 
Hemiram says of his sister:

So every message she sends me recently has something in it either telling me to be careful, or a link to a news article about some doofus shooting himself. I just ignore them for the most part, it's not worth arguing about.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. Don't argue because she means well. Smile and accept her good intent . . . and, when you send her a message, tell her to be careful as well and maybe include an armed citizen story or an Oleg Volk picture
 
Your house, your rules. My neighbor use to come over and have drinks with my parents all the time. Once she learned my dad had a S&W 460 mag, (he showed her boyfriend) she left and hasn't talked to us since. I think its pretty funny. If she knew that I had a couple mil surplus, she would probably move.
 
Doc2005 said:
What the antis don't accept is that, in reality, the Constitutional is about protecting the right to make personal choices regarding a set of ideals.

We have the right to choose 1) keep and bare firearms, or 2) to NOT keep and bare firearms (individually). The Constitution merely assure our right to make a free choice, and that choice should not be judged by others who disagree.
Click to expand...
Absolutely - their right not to have a firearm does not trump our right to have one.
 
Looks like my fear's were unfounded.:D We've had a good visit, none of the contentious topics have been brought up, just alot of family talk, football, sports, money, ect.:D Maybe my brother has quietly accepted our position and is respecting that. If that's the case, then that's cool with me. I'll accept his "anti" position, as long as he does not try to push it on me.
 
I'm glad it went good for you XD. Life's to short to spend it arguing.

When my younger brother died in 1995 i hadn't saw him in awhile. When we were younger we were really close but after i went into the Army we kind of drifted apart. He more or less turned into a flaming liberal. After that we would argue about everything. Then one day i got that phone call. Then it was to late to make up.

Almost a year before my dad and i had a fight and he told me i would never be welcome in his house again. That hurt me really bad. We had always been very close. It took my brother's death to bring us back together.

Life's to short and to precious to spend it arguing.
 
Hi Mag,

FWIW- my Gramps had a limited number of subjects of conversation. Cows, horses, corn and his role in WWII. Quite frankly he used to bore me to death. Now that he is gone... I'd give anything to hear about crashing a glider into France just before D-Day one more time. life is not only too short but the lives of those we love as well. All the more reason to keep a firearm to insure our loved ones will not be killed by animals of the four legged or two legged types.

Selena
 
It's a shame. Don't start any firearms related discussions or push your brother away over his political beliefs. I say this for two reasons.

One, he's your brother, enough said.

Two, that's not the way to change anyone's mind. There's a pretty good article on this at JPFO. Don't know if it's been posted here before but it gave me a some insight on what makes antigunners tick and why they get defensive over the firearms issue. Pushing against someone's defenses makes them bolster them.

http://www.jpfo.org/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm

Have a nice time with your brother and the rest of your family, and if all else fails change the subject.
 
If he mentions the gun cabinet, tell him to watch out, as all the guns do have minds of their own and some may break out and jump into his hands and go wild shooting people.
 
.............If he happens to mention guns, I will just say that we should just not discuss that topic, as it is impossible to have a reasoned discourse with him,.................
Click to expand...
If he won't accept that, gently remind him who's house it is.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
Christmas with my anti-gun family
2 3 4 5
Replies
102
Views
6K
Medusa
M
C
  • Locked
Took my anti-gun brother shooting today!
Replies
19
Views
2K
Shootshellz
S
X
  • Locked
E-Mail to my anti-gun brother and his response
2
Replies
44
Views
3K
Hk91-762mm
H
C
  • Locked
Better understanding an anti (my brother in this case)
2 3
Replies
74
Views
4K
Rudy Kohn
R
feedthehogs
  • Locked
Thompson visits gun show
Replies
1
Views
676
Larry Ashcraft
Larry Ashcraft
Back
Top