OP... Rocket Medic....
I respect you for willingly to declare your opinions even though they are un-popular.
You also have my respect as an United States Serviceman. And it makes me feel horrible for being brutally honest with you.
To start with, you didn't need to give us your demographics. You tell us that you're a White male (Not relevant to your post), Drive a pickup (Not relevant), Listen to country (Not relevant), are fiscally conservative (Not relevant), live in the Midwest (Not relevant), and that you're married (Not relevant).
The big problem though is that you gave us your race. Everything else is relatively harmless until you throw in race.
By giving us your Race you immediately cause bias.
Me saying that I'm 19 and as foolish as a kid can be, Work through college as a criminal justice major, already have an EMT-B certification, Drive a Jeep, Work at a truck-stop, I don't drink, don't do drugs, don't sleep around, Live in Idaho, Go shooting in the desert, Have a Fiance, Have been brought up to be a respectable gentleman, RESPECT MY ELDERS, and frequent THR.
^^ Pretty harmless right?
OH WAIT! You need to know this! I'm half Vietnamese, and half Cuban. Both my parents escaped their respective countries before the communists took over. I was born in the states.
^^ That paragraph didn't need to be there.
Saying you're the poster-child of gun owners can be taken as a RACIST remark. We should be striving to not have a primary image, BUT to be in every walk of American life. By declaring that you're the perfect image of a gun owner you do nothing to help the "Gun owners are just a bunch of Rednecks with no education!" stereotype.
I've read every post up until now, TO ME IT LOOKS LIKE each time a THR member has brought up a valid argument you've shot them down with the same condescending attitude and arrogance that I experienced when I was getting my EMT-A certification.
Don't give me the: "I'm a type-A personality!" BS either.
*For those of you that don't know: the EMT and Paramedic field is riddled with the same attitude that Rocket Medic is lashing out with. Not everyone is that bad, but a great many are.*
And by saying THIS:
And you, old man, have no concept that the world has changed and that your era is gone, and that many of the troubles of today can be directly traced to your generation's shoddy, self-centered upbringing. My kids will still be fixing your problems.
You've lost any respect I had. I can't stand to see that you've closed your mind to the advice that people who've had this happen before.
Not to mention that a Disrespect for those older and wiser than you is outright disgusting.
Sincerely, Someone who apparently isn't the Poster-Child for gun owners.
GOOD DAY SIR!