Pro-Gun Article in Street Roots

AGCR · Apr 30, 2010

A few weeks ago I took a couple folks from Portland's homeless newspaper Street Roots out shooting. The resulting article just came out and locals can read it for a buck from your friendly neighborhood vender. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Of course if you don't want to part with the cash or are outside the metro area, it's posted online- how convenient.
-Ross Eliot
http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/american-gun-culture-pacific-style/#more-3403

Trlsmn · Apr 30, 2010

Thanks Ross!

Cougfan2 · Apr 30, 2010

Very interesting. I must say I didn't know what to expect, but it was very balanced if kinda "different". Kudos! :s0155:

unionguy · Apr 30, 2010

Good article, great work!

whatzhizname · Apr 30, 2010

Great article. It's efforts like these that will keep growing public awareness and acceptance of the shooting sports and firearms ownership. At the end, the person even stated they supported the 2nd Amendment. Very interesting! Thanks again for your efforts in this outreach.

toobigtofail · Apr 30, 2010

Even people who might have political objections to firearms find themselves enjoying the act of target shooting. It is perpetually challenging, interesting and fun.

tionico · Apr 30, 2010

toobigtofail said:
Even people who might have political objections to firearms find themselves enjoying the act of target shooting. It is perpetually challenging, interesting and fun.

that's what happens when folks buy all the media and political spin on something. They end up taking up the negative side as their own. Then, when they once get opportunity to experience something firsthand, they often wonder why they'd been put off it for so long..... sort of an awakening....

what's funny is that we make decisions on emotion... then justify it with "facts". If their emotions have tied them to the "guns are evil" mantra of certain factions, there's plenty of spin out there to justify that position. Ah, but somehow get them to TRY it for once..... they like it a lot..... and suddenly all that spin doesn't sway them anymore. Sounds like that's what happened once you took those folks shooting. Good work, Now if you'd tried to sway them by rational discussion, or facts, you'd still be working on them.

mattg521 · Apr 30, 2010

Nice article. I really enjoy your 'zine. Keep up the good work.

soberups · May 1, 2010

Gun ownership needs to stop being the sole province of middle-aged, conservative straight white men.

I myself am a middle-aged, conservative straight white man....but I feel strongly that there is plenty of room under the 2nd Amendment tent for people who dont necessarily look or act like me.

Keep up the good work, AGCR. Your 'zine may just be the ticket for getting my "progressive, feminist, vegan" 22 yr old daughter to give up her hatred of guns. I know my lectures havent worked!

8ball · May 1, 2010

Nice article. It was good to discover AGCR and www.theliberalgunclub.com as an alternative to the usual gun press.

tionico · May 1, 2010

soberups said:

Keep up the good work, AGCR. Your 'zine may just be the ticket for getting my "progressive, feminist, vegan" 22 yr old daughter to give up her hatred of guns. I know my lectures havent worked!

nowTHAT cracked me up...... yes, it is good to find ways of "reaching" these sorts. I was at the 2nd Ammendment Rally last weekend here in Olympia, and there was quite the mix of folks..... suit and tie and wingtips, blujeans and running shows, full on biker leathers, younger ones with leather, studs, chains, "body art", and an AK strapped across their backs, grunge, goth, hippie, Tennis Shoe Moms that could stand in for Patty Murray (and would likely be far better lawmakers).....and every imaginable type of gun (well, didn't see a Barrett fifty anywhere.... )

funny your daughter is so "different".... and hates guns. I think this supports the idea of starting kids out young, when they're still eager to learn and experience everything out there... I've known some Dads to start their kids shooting at about six or seven...... they mayn't follow on to become avid gun folk, but at least they won't hate or fear them as evil things......

toobigtofail · May 1, 2010

Look, it's not that unusual to be liberal ("progressive", whatever) and pro gun. I'm a liberal and I am so pro gun that I won't even consider living in California any more with its ridiculous, repressive gun laws.

soberups · May 1, 2010

Its funny how politics can make for strange bedfellows.

With a few extremely limited exceptions,I dont feel the government has any business telling a person what type of gun they can own.

In the same spirit, I also feel the govt. has no business telling a person who they can or cannot marry...or what substances they can or cannot ingest into their body.

The first view puts me squarely in the "conservative" camp, while the latter two kick me right back out of it.

Trlsmn · May 1, 2010

soberups said:
Its funny how politics can make for strange bedfellows.

With a few extremely limited exceptions,I dont feel the government has any business telling a person what type of gun they can own.

In the same spirit, I also feel the govt. has no business telling a person who they can or cannot marry...or what substances they can or cannot ingest into their body.

The first view puts me squarely in the "conservative" camp, while the latter two kick me right back out of it.

Now you're getting it! Neither camp is the correct answer! First and foremost you represent the Soberup camp!

We need to stop letting ourselves be divided into left and right and start dividing ourselves as us against the left and right! :s0155:

PlayboyPenguin · May 1, 2010

Trlsmn said:
Now you're getting it! Neither camp is the correct answer! First and foremost you represent the Soberup camp!

We need to stop letting ourselves be divided into left and right and start dividing ourselves as us against the left and right!

Being in the middle is the hardest position to take. I get looked at like a nazi by my leftist friends and constantly degraded as a pinko on gun boards. On gun forums I get called a "fake" gun owner, a troll, and everything else you can think of simply because I refuse to fall in line with what other people tell me to think. On liberal forums I get called paranoid, a hate monger, etc.

If more people in the middle stopped trying to fit in with one side or the other they would realize that there are a whole lot more of us than there are either of them.

The sad thing about politics is the fanatics always tend to shout loudest...but if more people in the middle started saying "sit down and shut up unless you can act like an adult" instead of being afraid of being called out by one side or the other you would see a big change in this country.

soberups · May 1, 2010

PlayboyPenguin said:
The sad thing about politics is the fanatics always tend to shout loudest...but if more people in the middle started saying "sit down and shut up unless you can act like an adult" instead of being afraid of being called out by one side or the other you would see a big change in this country.

Its frustrating for me when I go to the gun range and hear people discussing politics.

Many of the same people who would adamantly fight for my sister's right to keep and bear arms would fight just as hard to keep her from having the right to marry the person she loves simply because that person isnt a man. Or they would oppose the right of a friend of mine to grow a marijuana plant and smoke its leaves within the privacy of his own home.

And on the flip side, many of the people who do agree with me on issues such as gay rights or drug legalization...would be more than happy to turn around and completely deny me the right to keep and bear arms.

Its funny how people seem to have no problem with government interference in private matters.... as long as those matters happen to agree with whatever predjudices or biases they might have.

SiegGeringer · May 1, 2010

soberups said:
Its frustrating for me when I go to the gun range and hear people discussing politics.

Many of the same people who would adamantly fight for my sister's right to keep and bear arms would fight just as hard to keep her from having the right to marry the person she loves simply because that person isnt a man. Or they would oppose the right of a friend of mine to grow a marijuana plant and smoke its leaves within the privacy of his own home.

And on the flip side, many of the people who do agree with me on issues such as gay rights or drug legalization...would be more than happy to turn around and completely deny me the right to keep and bear arms.

Its funny how people seem to have no problem with government interference in private matters.... as long as those matters happen to agree with whatever predjudices or biases they might have.

If you were a chick and looked like Ashley Scott I'd pop the question RIGHT NOW. :s0155:

Trlsmn · May 2, 2010

PlayboyPenguin said:
Being in the middle is the hardest position to take. I get looked at like a nazi by my leftist friends and constantly degraded as a pinko on gun boards. On gun forums I get called a "fake" gun owner, a troll, and everything else you can think of simply because I refuse to fall in line with what other people tell me to think. On liberal forums I get called paranoid, a hate monger, etc.

If more people in the middle stopped trying to fit in with one side or the other they would realize that there are a whole lot more of us than there are either of them.

The sad thing about politics is the fanatics always tend to shout loudest...but if more people in the middle started saying "sit down and shut up unless you can act like an adult" instead of being afraid of being called out by one side or the other you would see a big change in this country.

Yes this highlights my biggest problem with people taking the right or left and then defending every aspect of the party line.

How can anyone just happen to agree on a personal level with everything one party stands for? It would be one heck of a coincidence wouldn't it?

The real truth is people adopt a party and then let that party tell them what to think through there mouth pieces. On the right you have your Limbaughs and your Becks telling you what to think and on the left you have your Maddows and Olbermanns telling you what to think.

The thought of having to listen to 5 mins of any of the four of the above mentioned disgusts me!

The truth is I am a Physical Conservative and a Social liberal which means neither party represents me.

I look at both parties as phonies and regardless of What the Demos and Repubs would have us believe they are all puppets of the rich elite who buy and sell them like we buy and sell firearms.

Divide and conquer is what is happening. In all my years I've never seen it more than I do right now.