Name calling and gun folks

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There seems to be some disdain for those who do not wish to carry. That is foolish and immature.

I personally know more folks who do not want to carry than who do. Many of those who do not want to are retired LEO, even off duty LEO, retired military who have proven their courage, and dedication on the foreign fields of battle or the Cold War.

They are not sheep in the manner used here. Personally I resent hearing of them being referred to in that way. Many have exhibited more courage and love for this nation than many of you who have never had to put your lives on the line, and make sacrifices in time, blood, and family.

Referring to those who do not carry in a manner that shows contempt for them is pure arrogance, and immaturity.

It is obvious that to some carrying a handgun is an idol.

If and when the nation needs men, many who do not carry would be at the forefront, while some who do carry and are always shouting about their rights would flee to Canada, and claim it was not a lack of courage, but just an illegal war. I continue to think of that as cowardice.

Jerry
 
Byron: any suggestions for equipment available in this century ?
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Can't really help you there, telomerase, as I haven't been paying attention to currently manufactured .22 revolvers. My two S&W .22 revolvers are K-22's made in 1948 and 1951. I did buy both in the past ten years though and didn't break the bank to do so. CZ has some nice .22 rifles. I like the Ciener .22 conversion kit for .45's but I'd like it more if the magazines didn't cost so much. I've got a Browning Buckmark with the bull barrel...it does good for introducing newbies to semi-automatics
 
A show of hands: How many have ever seen an improvement in relations when name-calling occurred?

As long as you're posting at THR, the best thing to stay in keeping with the mission statement of this website is to do absolutely no name-calling at all.

This is NOT Democratic Underground. Why act like them?

The saying, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar," is older, even, than I am. It's just as true, today, as it was in times past.

Part of our deal here is to persuade folks that we are grownups. That we're not a bunch of grubby-minded, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.

Save the name-calling nonsense for somewhere else on the Internet.

Art
 
Why is it necessary that we have a nickname for them at all? Whether you want it to be a perjorative or not, it'll become one.
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Ditto.

How about "people", or maybe something crazy like their names?

"Hello Bob" works a heck of a lot better than, "Hello sheeple, slave, lemming, uninformed, liberal dog, Democrat, yankee, pos, fetus killing, professional victim, welfare loving, misguided, gun grabbing, waste of my liberty and fresh air"

They are all people, just like you and me (and my wife). Sometimes people can have honest disagreements (like me and my wife about guns) and still be good, normal people. Berating them will not usually win the disagreement. Working through the disagreement point by point, year after year ;) , respecting each others opinions and feelings, we have come to a trusting understanding/working disagreement. Your results may vary:cool: .

That warm, smug and fuzzy feeling you may get using big words like "sheeple" is probably a sign to call mommy or the nurse because you Depends runneth over........:neener:
 
We like to divide, to define the "other" by some name.

Anti-gun, pro-gun, sheeple, vigilante, hoplophobe, gun nut.

The vast majority of folks don't fall into any of these categories so the "antis" and us gun nuts are in the minority. That makes each group the "other" to the majority of folks.

If we're smart we should realize that we're trying to win the hearts and minds of the majority of citizens in this country and whether they have a gun in the home or they don't they're winnable to either side.

Now the folks that would get rid of guns, our opposites, don't call those folks names. They pretend to respect them and try to further marginalise us by focusing on identifying us as somehow different from the majority of people.

What do we do? We come up with clever and self-congratulatory names to call them as if alienating them is good for our cause.:(

If we want to call names reserve it for those who actively want to take away our rights.
 
Seekers

I imagine there are many who today walk in my yesterday's shoes.

They are waiting for the right moment, the right person, the right situation to submit themselves to knowledge they know they lack.

Kindness, attention, understanding, and an opportunity are all they need.

Very few of them are as willing as I was to expose themselves as ignorant. It's a rare thing to be willing to "make a fool" of oneself.

I find that there are plenty of opportunities to assure people that they are not deficient, though they have been led to believe so for years.

My introduction to this came more than 20 years ago, when I was drafted as an adjunct instructor at the local college. I had women in my class who were very apprehensive about their ability to grasp what was "understood" to be a man's subject.
Julie, look at it this way: you have raised kids? Yes? And you have had to cook for them and sew for them? So you know how to follow a recipe and how to make a dress from a pattern? Julie, anyone who can get from "here's four yards of cloth" to that summer dress, or who can cook a meal from scratch that kids will actually eat, can program a computer -- after all, unlike a kid, a computer will actually do what you tell it.​

Now, shooting is not sewing, but anyone who can run a sewing machine can learn it, and anyone brave enough to change diapers or deal with a squirming kid in a store, can handle a little noise from a gun. Heck, there's more lethal hardware in most kitchens than this thing you're holding.

Someone quips to you that having a gun makes you more prone to violence.
Really? Let's test that theory. You're a pretty rational person; you come shooting with me and handle a gun for an afternoon and we'll see what you think after a little laboratory work.​

Yes, there are the 2% anti-social bigots crowd, and no amount of calm and reasoned discussion will move them.

The best thing you can do around them is ensure there's no pool of ignorant minds where their arguments can get traction.
Yeah, I know Fred says guns are evil. I thought I'd do you the courtesy of believing you can make up your own mind. I'll help you get the first-hand experience you need to make an informed decision.​

They are our customers, our students, our future partners.

I can hear you whining now: What -- I have to teach ALL these people??

Yeah, well, who else is there?

Suck it up, fella, and let's get started.
 
Part of our deal here is to persuade folks that we are grownups. That we're not a bunch of grubby-minded, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.
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But as a snowboarder, that statement is a true term of endearment Art. ;)

good point though, getting the uninformed out shooting a 22 and hitting that can for the first time is a lot of fun and where we should all start our conversion campaign of the anti-gun mindset.
 
take sheep to the range.

watch sheepish grin on sheep's face form after the first few rounds of .22 LR go downrange.

i've taken 100+ urban sheep to the range on my dime. they all had a good, safe time.

don't know how many i ended up converting to the pro-RKBA cause, but at least they can say they had a positive hands-on experience.
 
I suppose it is human nature to categorize and name things in order to place them somewhere in our built-in information storage and retrieval systems... but it does take up valuable time and data storage space better suited for other important tasks.

An enemy is an enemy and will fight against you. Passion.

A pacifist does not want to fight and will not. Impassion.

The innocent might have some preconceived notions but if they truly have an open mind, can be taught. Potential passion.

All are potential targets of my energy. The only time I find it necessary to deal with any of them is when they stand in my way, figuratively speaking. I'm not here to save the world or sell my passion if they're not interested in buying. I will, however, fight to defend what I deem important.

YMMV
 
There is absolutely no reason to be nice to an "adult stage" liberal. They want to hear nothing of which you have to say, and will use any knowledge you pass on to them as ammo, in some mis-quoted speach later. They take any civil behavior on our parts as a sign of weakness, and will use that as well as a weapon. They are the enemy, and nothing more. The permissiveness in this country is due to letting them have their way. I do not engage liberals in vocal battles about firearms, and use the rational thoughts of a "conservative/thinking" mind to seek other venues to battle them. You can try to influence young kids to see the difference of the views, but once they get into the public school systems........it's a tuff row to hoe. When verbally attacked by the enemy, I usually roll my eyes, and ask what channel they saw that on?....then disengage. Only when you can make a total ass out of them, in front of a large group of fellow sheeple, should you engage.:D
 
I've had several debates with antigunners, some of them heated. I have used sheeple, gun grabber, ect. After debating the subject with my daughter who is not as much anti gun as she is unaware of how mean people can be. I use the words gullable and unaware now, because it takes the discussion into a new direction. My wife doesn't like the thought of sitting next to someone in a restaurant that has a gun, but it's OK for me to carry mine. All I can tell her is, if she only knew how many people are carrying illegal guns. She is in unaware status. Mike
 
We live in a vast, beautiful country that we can freely roam at will. We can hunt, fish, hike, ride etc as well as participate in many activities that represent the incredibly diverse backgrounds that we bring to the table we call America. We can own property, build businesses and families. We are Americans. We come in many shapes, sizes, colors, having religion or no religion, educated or not, happy, sad, burly or skinny.

Some of us have hobbies. Some not. Some of us are more aware than others. Some of us are intense and others are not. Here on THR we are a community of folks who have an especial fondness for freedom and we like to play with things that go boom. Some hunt, some shoot trap and skeet. Some like high power, some, mouse guns. Some reload and like some like ancient weapons. Some revel in it all. We are a disparate group, yet we are somehow united. Some are for us and some are 'agin us. We already have a name:

We are Americans. Why don't we just leave it at that and when the opportunity comes, cause someone else to share in our passions, no matter what it is, invite them in as a fellow American.
 
Wise man said, "When I try to make everybody happy, I'm sad. When I stop trying to make everybody happy, I'm happy."
 
Every time one of us calls names or "gets aggressive" with someone who is a fence sitter, we get them off the fence. And onto the other side.

Many of the folks who many THR members call "antis" are merely folks who know enough to be dangerous - they've learned form TV, the newspapers, etc., and their knowledge set says that "guns are bad to have around." It's so much EASIER for folks to get mad, and call names at them, etc., than it is for the same folks to educate.

I may be paranoid, but I also suspect that some of loudest internet cheerleaders of the "name calling" variety may have never touched a gun in their lives. Remember, not everyone who says that he/she is on your side actually is...
 
There is absolutely no reason to be nice to an "adult stage" liberal.
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Well, other than basic human decency and politeness.

The permissiveness in this country is due to letting them have their way.
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There are many less permissive countries in the world - Iran and China spring to mind. Too bad they have no RKBA, even if they have done an admirable job in enforcing ideological purity on their citizens.

I have taken several "adult stage" liberal friends shooting, and calmly discussed RKBA with them. They're still liberals, but are far less positively disposed to gun control than they were before. Would it have been better if I had just rudely insulted them and disengaged?
 
I'm here today because I read the words of men who did not belittle me for my (then) beliefs. They just presented credible evidence and arguments that made me question my beliefs.

Had I come here first, it may have been different. I was not, and am not moved or impressed by threads that belittle others. I am turned away by them.

It's fun, when talking to your buddies, to talk like that. To talk big, to call someone or some groups names. But this site isn't for talking to your buddies, is it? It's for talking to those you'd like to be your buddies, but aren't yet. And they won't ever be your buddies if you start out by belittling them.
 
Springmom suggested a while back we adopt a phrase from a gun-toting momma whose pistol somehow became "exposed". She said, "Oh, the Muggles mustn't see!"

I laughed, but the Harry Potter reference is apt. These folks are not stupid, just either uninformed or naive for the most part. So we gun owners, especially CCW holders, move about among the Muggles as the wizards and witches do, not scaring the uninitiated, but always carrying our wands for the time they be needed.

Anyway, I have started using the term "Muggles". (Muggles are not to be confused with those Dark Forces who do understand the issue and seek to destroy the Protectors (sheepdogs) and Guardians (police and others).)
 
When I want to say something about a particular group of people, I have to use a name that puts that defines that group. If sheep fits, fine by me. If you don't like the term, that's fine by me as well.

Eliminating certain words from use because they _might_ be offensive is one accurate description of 'Politically Correct', and that's not something I'm working towards being.

If I'm talking about a particular person, I'll use that person's name. If I think that person is an idiot, I'll say so. If I think someone's a lunatic, I'll say that. If the person is trying to deny me my 2A rights, I might use the word 'anti'.

Taking 'the High Road' is a good thing... attempting to 'correct' politically incorrect speech is something else entirely.
 
Get a .22 revolver and a .22 rifle, extra eyes and ears, a few bricks of ammo, some reactive targets and locate a convenient range. Start inviting them to the range and see how many you can begin to call 'new shooters.'
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Works for me. When I go plinking, I'm often joined by a number of friends. Only one of which was a gun owner before I met them. The rest were invited out to shoot with us, taught safety and marksmanship, enjoyed the sport and went on to buy their own guns.
 
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