We Are Fighting Gun Control Wrong

[giggitygiggity]

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. Every time that we face gun control legislation, the advice is normally along the lines of "write to your politicians and make sure they know how you feel" or "join the NRA." While I do not find harm in doing so (provided correspondence is clear, concise, and respectful), I believe it has little, if any impact. The majority of politicians have a stance, good or bad, on gun control. It is unlikely that John Smith's letter from Normalville, USA is not going to sway a politician's stance one way or another. Even a flood of letters from constituents is unlikely to make a difference because the politician will likely know the composition of his constituency and already understand the political capital that will be gained/lost as a result of supporting or fighting gun control legislation.

Letters are fine, but I believe that we can achieve greater effects by contacting political donors and making firearms more mainstream. What do I mean by this?

With respect to donors, political donors are often wealthy business owners. Contact those business owners, if we know their 2A stance, either thank them for their support or note that you will no longer patronize their business as a result of their anti-gun stance. Any claims about not patronizing the business must be acted upon; actually refuse to support their businesses. As we saw, Dick's Sporting Goods betrayed 2A supporters and has suffered as a result.

Regarding making firearms more mainstream, think of how often you see advertisements, billboards, radio messages, commercials, etc for Pepsi, Coke, Ford, Chevy, etc. Seeing an ad for the newest handgun should be as commonplace as seeing an ad for the newest flavor of Doritos. Additionally, we must face the reality that we are in a day and age in which mindless millennials will follow the trends of celebrities. We need celebrities to be vocal advocates of the 2A. Keneau Reeves, Clint Eastwood, possibly Kanye West, possibly the Kardashians, etc. These are celebrities that are or might be pro 2A which may allow 2A to establish a foothold in celebrity culture. As juvenile as it is, people often think "[insert celebrity name] likes AR-15s... they must be cool. I want one!" We need to support these celebrities, even if it is by writing a letter or telling the that we appreciate them standing up for 2A advocates.

Furthermore, the 2A should be an everybody issue. This should not be an issue only affecting conservatives/Republicans. We cannot promote the idea that the 2A only appeals to conservatives/Republicans. The 2A is for Democrats, women, gays/trans/etc, immigrants, Christians/Muslims, etc. While most 2A supporters are conservatives/Republicans, we need to let our guard down and not be hesitant to invite someone shooting or teach them about reloading. By secluding people who do not perfectly fit the conservative/Republican mold, we are denying ourselves additional 2A supporters.

Also, we need 2A to be a civil rights issue. People/businesses that create "gun free zones", refuse to provide service to 2A supporters, etc need to be called out for discriminatory practices. Whether someone is treated differently because of their race, religion, or their 2A stance, this needs to be categorized as a discriminatory practice and treated as a civil rights violation.

Finally, if we are ever so unfortunate to face legal action or a gun-related tragedy (such as a mass shooting), we need to tell our stories to everyone. For instance, the media swarms to family members of mass shooting victims and mines anti-2A statements just as if they were mining gold. How profound would it be if a parent said something along the lines of "I don't blame guns. I blame politicians for creating gun control legislation which denied my child their right to carry a firearm and defend him/herself. The news and politicians should be ashamed. If anything, this shooting should highlight the need for pro 2A legislation."? Granted, this may have been said, but if it's not live, most media outlets will conveniently ignore such an interview.

Anyways, these are just my thoughts. What I do know is that there is a gun control storm brewing and simply writing to politicians receives canned/expected responses. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[AlexanderA]

Good points. I especially like your idea that the 2nd Amendment should be for everyone. With the polarization in this country, there's the immediate assumption that if you own and like guns, you must be a right-wing Republican. I've run into this mentality myself. When people find out I have guns, they jump to the conclusion that I'm a political conservative -- something that is definitely not true. That leads to some rather confusing conversations. Unfortunately the NRA has contributed to this sort of thinking by identifying itself 100% with the Republican party.

 

[Old Dog]

Celebrities are not generally going to align themselves with the RKBA movement; that will impact their ability to obtain further employment.

RKBA has become, like it or not, a totally polarizing political issue. It's simply too late to frame RKBA as a civil rights issue.

All events these days, with the instantaneous media coverage, drive purely emotional responses to the occurrences. It's gonna be difficult to fight gun control initiatives any differently than how we're forced to do it now.

 

[P5 Guy]

Why are there no pro-gun billionaires?
I do understand never hearing about them due to the media bias.

 

[Hasaf]

RKBA has become, like it or not, a totally polarizing political issue. It's simply too late to frame RKBA as a civil rights issue.
.

In the context of, "things we are doing wrong," This rates pretty high. By allowing it to be a politically polarizing issue we immediately narrow our base. I went to a pro-2nd amendment activity this summer and some of the people I found myself chatting with were quite annoyed by the use of the word, "liberal."

That word is an example of things that are polarizing. Insulting people about things that have little, or nothing, to do with 2nd amendment issues is not "big tent" behaviour. To ensure that our 2nd amendment rights remain strong we need to reach across the divide, not deepen it. Yes, some will spun our welcome; but that does not eliminate, or absolve, any responsibility on our part.

Understand that all who agree with us on 2nd amendment issues may not agree on issues related to how to best structure a strong and resilient national economy. However, we should not allow disagreement on that to create a wedge in regard to our shared 2nd amendment rights.

 

[Old Dog]

I am certainly in agreement with everything that you say, Hasaf. And I'm old enough to remember the days when the Democrats were not regarded as the party of gun control, when gun control was not regarded as a political issue, strictly a social issue, which developed after the assassinations of two Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King. Let's also remember that the leadership of the NRA actually supported the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the ban on mail-order firearms.

 

[GEM]

Why are there no pro-gun billionaires?
I do understand never hearing about them due to the media bias.

There are rumors that some are gun folks but keep it secret for PR purposes. I won't pass on rumors, though.

For my tin-hat, billionaires are the economic, power elite. A good deal of the money comes from keeping the masses docile and having an armed citizenry as an alternative focus of power isn't to their benefit. During the financial melt-down, there were fears in Wall Street that the mob would come to Wall Street. Some of those Masters of the Universe actually applied for NYC pistol permits to protect themselves. Or they have plans to bug out to New Zealand or some converted missile silo to a luxury doomsday bunker.

I've been on the inclusive strategy for gun rights but that's been abandoned by the major gun organization for a strictly partisan, one side of the spectrum marketing viewpoint.

 

[hso]

Why are there no pro-gun billionaires?

You make an assumption that there aren't. The more accurate question is why are there no highly vocal pro-2A million/billionaires? Perhaps the answer to that is that the Antis are the vocal ones trying to fear monger while the pro=2A sorts are more logical and less attention-seeking so they work in the background.

 

[Old Dog]

As I have actors in the family and am told that there is a significant conservative, Republican-voting and gun-owning faction in both Hollywood and New York City, it'd sure be nice if these folk would be more visible, more vocal, and more supportive publicly -- but the reality seems to be that conservative celebrities are muzzled (Tim Allen and Tom Selleck have both addressed this before) due to fear of being black-listed.

If there exist any pro-gun billionaires, why wouldn't they have spoken out already?

 

[jdc1244]

What has little, if any, impact is the use of hyperbole, demagoguery, slippery slope fallacies, and factually wrong position statements – examples of which can be found in this very thread.

“…Dick's Sporting Goods betrayed 2A supporters…”

Actually not.

There’s nothing in the Second Amendment that prohibits a private company from deciding to not sell a particular type of firearm; moreover, the Second Amendment doesn’t apply to private entities, only to government – consequently Second Amendment supporters haven’t been ‘betrayed.’

“We need celebrities to be vocal advocates of the 2A.”

Do we really want to associate ourselves with the likes of Kanye West and the Kardashians – I for one do not. We should seek out mindful, responsible, and intelligent opposition to certain firearm regulatory measures.

“While most 2A supporters are conservatives/Republicans…”

Based on what evidence – to support the Second Amendment is to support Second Amendment jurisprudence; the Second Amendment exists solely in the context of its case law.

AWBs and magazine capacity restrictions are consistent with current Second Amendment jurisprudence, to support both is to support the Second Amendment, regardless how ineffective such laws might be – that a law is bad doesn’t necessarily mean it’s un-Constitutional.

Consequently, it would be beneficial to refrain from rhetoric about being ‘anti’ Second Amendment; in fact, it would be beneficial to refrain from attempting to demonize the opposition altogether.

 

[entropy]

The most successful method would be to dig up and or create dirt on the politicians who's votes matter most and and present them with an ultimatum; It's been very effective since Julius Ceasar's time, but has fallen in disfavor, at least with the Republican party. I am not advocating this, merely pointing out what has worked most efficiently in the past.

 

[badkarmamib]

consequently Second Amendment supporters haven’t been ‘betrayed.’

When they took my money that paid for goods, and used said money to lobby to take my rights away, they betrayed me. I won't forget it, either. Dick's last quarter earnings seem to show that boycotting does work, at least to some degree.

 

[Hasaf]

When they took my money that paid for goods, and used said money to lobby to take my rights away, they betrayed me. I won't forget it, either. Dick's last quarter earnings seem to show that boycotting does work, at least to some degree.

in a more "economics" sense, you transferred your money to them because they provided you with a good that provided you with greater utility. They then used that money to purchase something that gave them greater utility. The smug feeling may be the utility they valued. There is no betrayal unless they told you that they would do otherwise, and part of your utility was derived from the expectation of that action( e.g. purchasing some over-priced item at an FFA or Friends of the NRA auction, with the expectation that the proceeds would go to a cause that you supported).

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Why are there no pro-gun billionaires?
I do understand never hearing about them due to the media bias.

The Libertarian and anti-gun control Koch brothers donated millions to the NRA's "Get Out the Vote" initiative.

 

[Zerodefect]

Why are there no pro-gun billionaires?
I do understand never hearing about them due to the media bias.

Why would a billionaire want a peasant to have as much power as them?

It's easy to ban guns when you're surrounded by SS.

 

[rpenmanparker]

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. Every time that we face gun control legislation, the advice is normally along the lines of "write to your politicians and make sure they know how you feel" or "join the NRA." While I do not find harm in doing so (provided correspondence is clear, concise, and respectful), I believe it has little, if any impact. The majority of politicians have a stance, good or bad, on gun control. It is unlikely that John Smith's letter from Normalville, USA is not going to sway a politician's stance one way or another. Even a flood of letters from constituents is unlikely to make a difference because the politician will likely know the composition of his constituency and already understand the political capital that will be gained/lost as a result of supporting or fighting gun control legislation.

Letters are fine, but I believe that we can achieve greater effects by contacting political donors and making firearms more mainstream. What do I mean by this?

With respect to donors, political donors are often wealthy business owners. Contact those business owners, if we know their 2A stance, either thank them for their support or note that you will no longer patronize their business as a result of their anti-gun stance. Any claims about not patronizing the business must be acted upon; actually refuse to support their businesses. As we saw, Dick's Sporting Goods betrayed 2A supporters and has suffered as a result.

Regarding making firearms more mainstream, think of how often you see advertisements, billboards, radio messages, commercials, etc for Pepsi, Coke, Ford, Chevy, etc. Seeing an ad for the newest handgun should be as commonplace as seeing an ad for the newest flavor of Doritos. Additionally, we must face the reality that we are in a day and age in which mindless millennials will follow the trends of celebrities. We need celebrities to be vocal advocates of the 2A. Keneau Reeves, Clint Eastwood, possibly Kanye West, possibly the Kardashians, etc. These are celebrities that are or might be pro 2A which may allow 2A to establish a foothold in celebrity culture. As juvenile as it is, people often think "[insert celebrity name] likes AR-15s... they must be cool. I want one!" We need to support these celebrities, even if it is by writing a letter or telling the that we appreciate them standing up for 2A advocates.

Furthermore, the 2A should be an everybody issue. This should not be an issue only affecting conservatives/Republicans. We cannot promote the idea that the 2A only appeals to conservatives/Republicans. The 2A is for Democrats, women, gays/trans/etc, immigrants, Christians/Muslims, etc. While most 2A supporters are conservatives/Republicans, we need to let our guard down and not be hesitant to invite someone shooting or teach them about reloading. By secluding people who do not perfectly fit the conservative/Republican mold, we are denying ourselves additional 2A supporters.

Also, we need 2A to be a civil rights issue. People/businesses that create "gun free zones", refuse to provide service to 2A supporters, etc need to be called out for discriminatory practices. Whether someone is treated differently because of their race, religion, or their 2A stance, this needs to be categorized as a discriminatory practice and treated as a civil rights violation.

Finally, if we are ever so unfortunate to face legal action or a gun-related tragedy (such as a mass shooting), we need to tell our stories to everyone. For instance, the media swarms to family members of mass shooting victims and mines anti-2A statements just as if they were mining gold. How profound would it be if a parent said something along the lines of "I don't blame guns. I blame politicians for creating gun control legislation which denied my child their right to carry a firearm and defend him/herself. The news and politicians should be ashamed. If anything, this shooting should highlight the need for pro 2A legislation."? Granted, this may have been said, but if it's not live, most media outlets will conveniently ignore such an interview.

Anyways, these are just my thoughts. What I do know is that there is a gun control storm brewing and simply writing to politicians receives canned/expected responses. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

This is a powerful approach.

 

[rpenmanparker]

I would add that there is a need to get religion out of the discussion. Saying that the Creator imparts to us the right to keep and bear arms is a losing proposition. It is absurd on its face and easily seen as such even by believers.

 

[AlexanderA]

The Libertarian and anti-gun control Koch brothers donated millions to the NRA's "Get Out the Vote" initiative.

David Koch is 78 and in poor health, and his brother Charles is 83. Charles' son Chase, 41, -- the heir to the business -- doesn't seem to be interested in political involvement. Anyway, the Koch brothers are globalist free traders, are against tariffs, and are for liberalized immigration. That puts them at odds with the Trumpian Republican party. As the NRA gets closer and closer to the Trumpian Republican party, that drives a wedge between the Koch brothers and itself.

 

[rpenmanparker]

David Koch is 78 and in poor health, and his brother Charles is 83. Charles' son Chase, 41, -- the heir to the business -- doesn't seem to be interested in political involvement. Anyway, the Koch brothers are globalist free traders, are against tariffs, and are for liberalized immigration. That puts them at odds with the Trumpian Republican party. As the NRA gets closer and closer to the Trumpian Republican party, that drives a wedge between the Koch brothers and itself.

Did you not read the original post? That whole scenario is the problem. Having more globally tuned supporters is part of the solution.