"Meaningfully change gun ownership demographics ..."

[CRBMoA]

Pro Tip. No one on this forum can see you. We are judged by the content of our posts

See how that works?

 

[Certaindeaf]

Isn't massive thread drift just meaningful change...of the subject?

I, for one, think the price of tea in China is very important.

 

[CRBMoA]

What about the price of tea everywhere else, you hater of non Chinese tea?

 

[Dinglenutz]

You can read dengs works and realize that China long ago gave up any imperial ambitions

Philippine Sea.

 

[bbbass]

I am a wierdo and it's taken me a long time to feel comfortable in who I am. I've always been picked on because I'm short, or fat, or too poor for cool shoes or different in some way or another. So yeah, it sucks. Even today, you can't go out in public in a kilt without a certain degree of self-awareness.

We all have our crosses to bear. Go back a few posts and read about the scars I've had since I was 7 yrs old. You want to know that I never got picked first for Red Rover teams, or baseball, or anything physical. I feel no need to make my cross heavier.

Now apply that to being a first time gun owner. You find a forum of people and you ask for help. Then you get bubblegummed on (did I use that right? It's supposed to be the S Word).and told people wouldn't shoot with you because of how you look and that people won't help you because you are different. Have any of you ever been picked on or excluded for your appearance? Imagine, if you where utilizing a god given right for the first time, after decades of being told that it was bad to do so. Then all you are met with is people telling you that you need to look a certain way before you'll be allowed to do so.

Is that a hypothetical, a rhetorical, a composite story, or something that you actually experienced when you came here. I fail to see how our forum members would know your appearance except for you telling them so in much later posts. Yet, I saw that you were rx'ing pushback from people right away.

Especially now. Look at all the anti gun reteric out there. Look at all the anti gunner stereotypes out there. Heck, look at the NRA being super corrupt and it being exposed. Every direction nongunners look, the are seeing this message. Now comes someone pushing that all out of the way, only to get smacked in the face by "You can't sit at our table."

I say again, is that something that ACTUALLY happened to you based on your physical appearance, or are you still arguing about members response to Tachicool GF??

Some of you are wonderful, and extend your hand and say "hey, let me help you" or "let me answer any questions you have" and that's great. but some of you are very much in the "stay off my lawn!!!" types. I think we need more of the former.

I'm on the wonderful list. I'd offer to help you and answer questions, if we were introduced by somebody I knew and trusted. But approach you at a gun range.... maybe, if I saw you were having problems and might be open to a helping hand and not doing scary grimaces/yells and such. But at my CASA, I'm definitely more "stay off my lawn", esp since it's a fenced yard and fences make good neighbors. Except for the noisy guests, cars revving, their cats crapping in my landscape dirt, then my dog eating or rolling in it..... Oy Vey!

 

[Cavedweller]

Just call me "The Great And Magnificent BBBASS, knower of all things, baffler of the brilliant, handsomest man on earth, believer in the ONE truth, master of the bait, the most humble of men, his awesomeness cannot be recorded on any known scale, rescuer of fools, tooter of the Great Horn of Gylindora, Fane of the Fhrey, Miralyith of untold power, and a Lover of unparalleled prowess and distinction.

This thread just hit a new low. And I didn't think that was possible.

 

[CountryGent]

This thread just hit a new low. And I didn't think that was possible.

This isn't the first time I've started something that unintentionally ended up a dumpster-fire. And it isn't the worst. But it has got to rank up there.

 

[RevBadger]

We all have our crosses to bear. Go back a few posts and read about the scars I've had since I was 7 yrs old. You want to know that I never got picked first for Red Rover teams, or baseball, or anything physical. I feel no need to make my cross heavier.
Is that a hypothetical, a rhetorical, a composite story, or something that you actually experienced when you came here. I fail to see how our forum members would know your appearance except for you telling them so in much later posts. Yet, I saw that you were rx'ing pushback from people right away.

I say again, is that something that ACTUALLY happened to you based on your physical appearance, or are you still arguing about members response to Tachicool GF??

In this instance it's all hypothetical. All the gun stores I have been in have been wonderful for the most part. One made a "my daughter has that same wallet" crack that I didn't care for. But, if you watch the TacticoolGF video she points out that my experience isn't the same as others. What she is expressing is that for a large number of new gun owners, they feel ostracized before they even step into a store. The only personal fact I know about that is my buddy and his Oregon/Confederate/I got a tree... story. And even that, I wasn't there to witness it myself, but he's given me no reason not to trust him.

So if that is what is being reported, even if it's minor, shouldn't we try to shift that idea from a stand-offish group of elitists, to helpful, welcoming, and kind people?

So let me ask you this. When you close your eyes and think of a "gun owner" what do you see? I know, I know, "Gun owner's aren't a monolith" and "we all all wonderful and unique individuals, just like everyone else." But, really, close your eyes and think of how gun ownership is portrayed in the media. You want "the left" to see our view on guns, how is that being presented in a way that is helpful to get the left to understand about guns? Do you see a kindly southern gentleman plinking away in back yard? Do you see a loud yahoo doing donuts and shooting into the air? Do you see an black panther revolutionary standing with an M16 in the air? Or do you see a unified force made up of all races, genders, creeds, and identities, standing strong, united against anyone who dares question their rights?

I, honestly and truly, want to close my eyes and see the latter. The kilted and the pantsed, the purple hair and the boring headed, everyone.

They say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one.

 

[BigDog67]

Because we should be free to express ourselves in any way we see fit. I happen to enjoy dying my hair, wearing kilts, and having tattoos. You don't. We should both be free to do as we will.

What actual harm does someone wearing a kilt, or having tattoos, or having facial piercings cause you? Unless it's a windy day, that is.

I wear a kilt. I also have a card in my wallet that says I am a member of Clan Gordon and entitled to all the "Rights and Privileges" that go along with it. Other than voting for Clan officers and help in a fight, I'm not sure what those entail.
But as for tattoos and died hair, you can sit at THAT table.

 

[BigDog67]

This thread just hit a new low. And I didn't think that was possible.

We haven't really been trying.

 

[bbbass]

This thread just hit a new low. And I didn't think that was possible.

LMAO!

But Ï'm not the one that asked the question!

Members shouldn't bait me, I'm the Master!!!

 

[Sandaholic]

So let me ask you this. When you close your eyes and think of a "gun owner" what do you see?

Your thought experiment is kinda stupid IMO. It's almost as if you're trying to lead us to something....

Instead of trying to conjure up an image of a stereotypical 'gun owner', why don't you try the following. When you walk outside your home, just think that potentially every single person you meet is armed.

^^^This thought experiment can actually have some value.

Do I even need to bother going back to the beginning of the thread to see what is going on here?

 

[bbbass]

shouldn't we try to shift that idea from a stand-offish group of elitists, to helpful, welcoming, and kind people?

I don't see myself as part of "we" but I think you've adequately made your point.

So let me ask you this. When you close your eyes and think of a "gun owner" what do you see?

Me, my wife, my kids, my grandkids, my great-grandkids, my brother. My range club fellows (male and female). My IDPA buddies. My hunting partners.

I don't live in an area where we get a lot of "weirdos". It's a rural ag area that also has a University. Even the university students are pretty tame. A few outliers visit the Walmart, tats, earhoops, colored hair, and my neighbors sport weird haircuts that are shaved on one side. They guy neighbor sported a topknot in the past, but got rid of it when he was accepted in to a Plumbing Apprenticeship. I take them both to IDPA matches. It's all good. And everybody welcomes them, and nobody picks on them. Life here is pretty quiet and people generally polite no matter what they might think personally of somebody's appearance. At MY IDPA matches every new shooter gets help and assistance in a friendly manner!!!

how gun ownership is portrayed in the media.

I'm not sure anymore... I don't watch the news... it's all bad all the time. But I imagine the avg gun owner is portrayed as a Bubba gun screwing nut job that will kill you at the drop of a hat, or kill you by accident because the carry those evil guns on their person, and only cops should have guns, but they need to be retrained to shoot people in the hand/arm/leg. Oh my. Now I'm gonna have nightmares!!

You want "the left" to see our view on guns, how is that being presented in a way that is helpful to get the left to understand about guns?

I gave up on making any progress on that long ago. IMO that won't change until the "people" take back the schools, universities, media, etc.

 

[bbbass]

Do I even need to bother going back to the beginning of the thread to see what is going on here?

I can't honestly recommend doing so...

I'm even sorry that I'M here!!

 

[American123]

I think this thread is a great example of discussion, different viewpoints, and thread drift, without it devolving into ad hominem banter.

 

[Cavedweller]

Do I even need to bother going back to the beginning of the thread to see what is going on here?

Do you have a life? Do you cherish your time on earth? If yes, the answer to your question is "NO!"

 

[RVTECH]

So let me ask you this. When you close your eyes and think of a "gun owner" what do you see?

Personally I have never 'closed my eyes' and thought about gun owners.

My own position on gun ownership is no doubt a little more 'traditionally' based and largely in part does not follow everything new, and up to the minute on everything.

Do I own some 'modern' guns - yes, but they do not dominate my values and position on gun owership.

I think you are trying to 'amalgamate' gun owners into one category and unfortunately that is not going to work.

Guns aren't some trendy new fad that came out last year. They have been around a long time and have paralleled an evolutionary path with people as long as they have been with us.

If you are truly serious about gun ownership and shooting then you either need to find like minded people of your proclivities to help you along or accept you might be in a minority with your, well 'expressions' and may have a hard time with say, some of those who may, shall we say, might have different ways, or reservations about your appearance and opinions.

 

[American123]

Your thought experiment is kinda stupid IMO. It's almost as if you're trying to lead us to something....

Instead of trying to conjure up an image of a stereotypical 'gun owner', why don't you try the following. When you walk outside your home, just think that potentially every single person you meet is armed.

^^^This thought experiment can actually have some value.

Do I even need to bother going back to the beginning of the thread to see what is going on here?

Is it dumb though? Gun ownership is not reported to be equally distributed percentages amongst various demographic of the population.

Then if we look at media portrayals of "gun owners" typically it is a white uneducated hick in camo.

They don't tend to give a lot of attention to the other "less sensational" populations of gun owners.

 

[Camelfilter]

Because we should be free to express ourselves in any way we see fit. I happen to enjoy dying my hair, wearing kilts, and having tattoos. You don't. We should both be free to do as we will.

What actual harm does someone wearing a kilt, or having tattoos, or having facial piercings cause you? Unless it's a windy day, that is.

Doesn't matter one iota what someone looks like. Provided they shoot safely, listen to answers IF they ask questions, AND are coherent when asking said.

Tacticool girlfriend wasn't making much sense to me. I'd have a difficult time interacting with him at a range, however I would refer to him as a her. As that is her preference.

Whereas IF Colion Noir were a newby at a range, AND asked for help AND listened to answers, he'd be someone folks would WANT to interact with. Because he's cogent.

Wouldn't matter if he was once a she (no idea), or what gender he prefers to cohabitate with (again no idea, and doesn't matter).

 

[bbbass]

Tacticool girlfriend wasn't making much sense to me. I'd have a difficult time interacting with him at a range, however I would refer to him as a her. As that is her preference.

I didn't watch the vid. But I think my bias/bigotry would be triggered. A former member of the family was a cross dresser, than left his wife and family to live his dream full time as a woman, and eventually went to China to have the operation from Dr. Wacadicoff. He destroyed his kids, two of my grandkids (one is totally f'd up still in his 40s) and a great-grandkid. It's something I will never forgive and recoil at the thought of such an abomination.

No, I don't go shooting with him, er... her.... er, Xer.