Ragnar Danneskjold
Member
I think a lot of us are applying the wrong methods for dealing with antis we encounter because we might think they're all alike, or we can't tell the difference. There's really two types, at least from what I've seen.
The first are essentially the useful idiots. These are your everyday people who have never seen a gun in person, only "know" what they think they know about guns from movies or the media. They're scared of guns because they've never really learned different. Maybe they've been emotionally scarred by a past even involving a gun, maybe they're just towing the party line of their chose political group, maybe they're just scared soccer moms who think "guns=bad" so "removing guns=good". They don't really understand the Constitution, crime, or violence because all of that stuff takes concentrated thought, and for them it's just far easier to "feel" instead of think. Somewhere deep down, they probably really do want what's best for everyone, but their feelings drive them in the wrong direction, and they've never taken the time to learn otherwise.
Then there are the second kind. These are the ones in power. They know what guns are and what they mean. They know that someone with the ability to defend themselves is hard to control. And a country that can defend itself can't be control either. They are the Senators and Congresspeople who write and vote on bills. These are the people who have offices in Washington and sit on the boards of places like the VPC and Brady. They have their own armed security staff, and don't have a problem with guns per se. They have a problem with commoners owning them. To them, gun control is not emotional, but logical. A logical means to obtain more power and keep it.
Don't confuse the two. And when you're fighting an anti, don't assume one kind is the other. If you're talking to your mom, or a coworker about guns, there's a pretty good chance they're the first kind. Save the "it's my RIGHT" soapbox speeches and confrontation and just apply a healthy does of good natured education and fact. They don't hate you, they're just scared and misinformed.
When you're fighting the second kind, never assume they are the first. Don't ever assume that inch you're giving them is going to earn you some good will or consideration. To them "compromise" is just a way to take a little today...and take a little more tomorrow. Until you've "compromised" everything away hoping to get some crumbs back. They do hate you, AND they're scared of you. Be very careful. And don't ever assume they want what's really best for you or the country.
And most importantly, learn to tell the difference between the two and deal with them appropriately. You're hurting yourself and all of us when you apply the wrong method to the wrong kind of anti.
The first are essentially the useful idiots. These are your everyday people who have never seen a gun in person, only "know" what they think they know about guns from movies or the media. They're scared of guns because they've never really learned different. Maybe they've been emotionally scarred by a past even involving a gun, maybe they're just towing the party line of their chose political group, maybe they're just scared soccer moms who think "guns=bad" so "removing guns=good". They don't really understand the Constitution, crime, or violence because all of that stuff takes concentrated thought, and for them it's just far easier to "feel" instead of think. Somewhere deep down, they probably really do want what's best for everyone, but their feelings drive them in the wrong direction, and they've never taken the time to learn otherwise.
Then there are the second kind. These are the ones in power. They know what guns are and what they mean. They know that someone with the ability to defend themselves is hard to control. And a country that can defend itself can't be control either. They are the Senators and Congresspeople who write and vote on bills. These are the people who have offices in Washington and sit on the boards of places like the VPC and Brady. They have their own armed security staff, and don't have a problem with guns per se. They have a problem with commoners owning them. To them, gun control is not emotional, but logical. A logical means to obtain more power and keep it.
Don't confuse the two. And when you're fighting an anti, don't assume one kind is the other. If you're talking to your mom, or a coworker about guns, there's a pretty good chance they're the first kind. Save the "it's my RIGHT" soapbox speeches and confrontation and just apply a healthy does of good natured education and fact. They don't hate you, they're just scared and misinformed.
When you're fighting the second kind, never assume they are the first. Don't ever assume that inch you're giving them is going to earn you some good will or consideration. To them "compromise" is just a way to take a little today...and take a little more tomorrow. Until you've "compromised" everything away hoping to get some crumbs back. They do hate you, AND they're scared of you. Be very careful. And don't ever assume they want what's really best for you or the country.
And most importantly, learn to tell the difference between the two and deal with them appropriately. You're hurting yourself and all of us when you apply the wrong method to the wrong kind of anti.