Anti's find negatives in anything we do. So at the end of the day OC isn't any different than any other gun related activity. Some people are simply anti gun, most are not.
Three true statements. Unfortunately they are stated together as if they somehow form a cohesive stream of thought when instead they are just a string of
non sequiturs.
It is true that antis find negative in anything we do. That doesn't mean we can ignore them. They are constantly looking for ways to restrict firearms and if we provide them with fodder (via ANY gun related activity--including OC) it can come back to haunt us.
It is true that OC isn't any different than any other gun related activity. But that doesn't follow from the fact that antis find negatives in anything we do nor does it have anything to do with the fact that some folks are anti-gun and some aren't.
More importantly, the fact that it's just another gun related activity doesn't mean we can ignore what other people think of it. Just as my gun range has a restriction on firing early in the mornings to prevent offending the neighbors, we need to be prudent in how we exercise our rights. The range has been there for years. Much longer than some of the neighbors. Nevertheless, if it becomes a bad neighbor, if it begins to be a source of irritation to those who live nearby, they can make trouble that the range can ill afford.
Some people are anti-gun and some are not. True. It's also true that there are fence sitters and there are occasionally folks who change camps. The goal of every gun owner should be to push the fence sitters in our direction and to get folks to change camps from the antis to the pros. OC can do that. It can also do the reverse if it is not done prudently.
Synopsis: So we shouldnt excercise our rights, lest we offend someone and lose our rights?
This is what is called a false dichotomy. In a false dichotomy a person presents two choices as if they are the ONLY choices when there are actually other choices available.
You want to make it look like there are only two choices.
1. Don't ever exercise your rights, it might offend someone.
2. Always exercise your rights no matter who it offends.
There are also some other choices.
Randomly exercise your rights (sometimes do it, sometimes don't--flip a coin to decide when)
Prudently exercise your rights (think about the confluence of circumstances to decide if it's a good idea or not)
In case it's not obvious, the last choice (the underlined one) is the one I'm advocating.
Does that mean we stop supporting others who do it?
If they are not prudent in their choices then I do not support their actions.
Same applies if to a person who intentionally wakes up his neighbors in the middle of the night legally doing target practice on his land for the simple reason that he can and that he doesn't care who he offends. He's not being prudent, he's not being a good representative for gun owners and for that reason I would not support his actions.
Does that mean we stop taking chances because people might be offended?
It means we should be smart about what we do as gun owners. That encompasses a wide range of activities including OC.
