Will We Experience Greater Criticism In General As Gun Owners?

[RVTECH]

I have been giving this some thought since 'Friday'. Does anybody believe we/us will experience any greater level of criticism from the generally quiet, non-shooting population in the future as we continue to shoot either at the range or while at informal setups in the woods? I am not talking about the completely insane and irrational politicians we already are hearing from but more the possibility of dealing with someone in 'on the street' so to speak. Maybe even picketers at ranges/public shooting areas etc. I would like to think the the craziness of this will pass as quickly as it started but it appears the antis or going to get more than their prescribed 15 minutes out of this so am I thinking too far outside the curve or has anyone else considered something similar?

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[Ironbar]

People have very short attention spans. Once it's out of the news, it will be out of people's minds.

 

[Member 3687]

In the past I would have agreed with you that given time it would pass but I feel this time it is going to hit and hit hard. Pelosi is not going to let it go and I feel the house are a bunch of wimps and will let her have most if not all of what she wants.

God I home I am wrong! I have had a clean record up till now and do not want to be a felon over night.

 

[Botte Hork]

To answer the topic question: Yes. As a gun owner willing to stand up for it, unless you only deal with gun-friendly people or people in relatively pro-gun communities/areas, expect lots of blahblah and lack of understanding.

Perhaps it's the mental masochist in me, but I regularly engage in CC/2A discussions with people back home. Like rabid anti-gun dems, the overall majority throws ridiculous reasoning with wild assumptions that are treated as truths and at the first sensible response from you, the ad hominem will quickly follow.

 

[Mikej]

To answer the topic question: Yes. As a gun owner willing to stand up for it, unless you only deal with gun-friendly people or people in relatively pro-gun communities/areas, expect lots of blahblah and lack of understanding.

Perhaps it's the mental masochist in me, but I regularly engage in CC/2A discussions with people back home. Like rabid anti-gun dems, the overall majority throws ridiculous reasoning with wild assumptions that are treated as truths and at the first sensible response from you, the ad hominem will quickly follow.

I really like your style Botte! You are a voice of reason and ooze intelegence when you write.

For a non firearms entheusiest, reading a LOT of the stuff I see on the forum makes the lot of us look like nut jobs. With the media constantly using incorrect terms, the non fire arm people look at us and wonder WHY ON EARTH DO THESE PEOPLE WANT TO OWN SO MANY TERRIBLE, DANGEROUS, THINGS. I had to call KATU2 the other night to (Gently) correct the statement of an on-air reporter after she stated ANYONE that DOES NOT have a felony may puchase any fire arm. I suggested they contact an FFL and find out just how many questions are on the form.

We need to speak to anti's in a calm, common sense manor, none of this "Oh, 80 years ago the goverment baned fire arms in Boobaloonia and in the next four years massacred 500,000 people that couldn't protect themselves", that doesn't do diddly for our reputation as gun entheusiests.

I'm just shaking my head reading parts of thread after thread yapping about my/your/our 2nd amendment rights, and buying ALL the ammo and mags I can, as fast as I can. I've seen practically nothing in the way of emotional responces,or saddnes conveyed to the people that are suffering these terrible losses. Being relitively new to firearms, a little over two years, the view from the outside sure looks a lot like a large part of the community is more concerned with how many guns/ammo they can get, than solving the issues at hand.

To answer RVTECHS question: YES, unfortunately.

Mike

 

[RVTECH]

Well it has already happened in Central Oregon - a local pawnshop has received an anonymous call from a woman demanding they "Remove all their assault weapons from the rack because they are bad for selling them" As legal gun owners we need to be more vigilant than ever from the possibility of action against us, shops, manufacturers, retailers etc. from the extreme left.

 

[fyrediver]

As RVTech said, it's already happening. TV shows have been cancelled, stores (Dicks) are dropping firearms sales, etc. People that I know that know I own and carry have criticized me.

 

[Botte Hork]

I really like your style Botte! You are a voice of reason and ooze intelegence when you write.

Thanks! I ooze many things, I'm happy there's something smart in there.



Regarding the anonymous calls: Maybe we'll see the more extreme left wing people picket in front of gun stores. And of course "document" with cameras, so everyone going in and out will be posted on the web, for ease of harassment. Just look up "swatting". Scary stuff.

 

[BillB1960]

I have been giving this some thought since 'Friday'. Does anybody believe we/us will experience any greater level of criticism from the generally quiet, non-shooting population in the future as we continue to shoot either at the range or while at informal setups in the woods? I am not talking about the completely insane and irrational politicians we already are hearing from but more the possibility of dealing with someone in 'on the street' so to speak. Maybe even picketers at ranges/public shooting areas etc. I would like to think the the craziness of this will pass as quickly as it started but it appears the antis or going to get more than their prescribed 15 minutes out of this so am I thinking too far outside the curve or has anyone else considered something similar?

Even the gun grabbers aren't stupid enough to think that it's a really good idea to get into an argument with someone who is most likely 'packing heat'.

 

[mkwerx]

As RVTech said, it's already happening. TV shows have been cancelled, stores (Dicks) are dropping firearms sales, etc. People that I know that know I own and carry have criticized me.

what TV show was cancelled because of these shootings?

 

[jghuwe]

American guns. We live in sad political times.

 

[Key-Hay]

I work with a lot of folks who are VERY much democrats and are sucking up the pabulum the press is serving up. They also know I compete in Cowboy action and some even have come to watch (or have seen my youtube videos). They don't seam to have any problem with Cowboy Action however I am reluctant right now to talk about any of the competitions I do with ARs. Some know I shoot speed steel and coach 2 junior shooters using 22LR ARs. At this point it maybe the better part to just let things lay till cooler heads prevail. They think there's no reason to have an AR, period. I could argue back with my competitions but that won't see clearly anyway

My junior shooters and I were planning to move into Modern 3 gun and USPSA this spring. With all the uproar about "Evil Black Rifles" right now I think we will still work towards that goal.....just on the down low. Too bad, the boys are really proud of their shooting abilities. It's hard to tell them to keep their accomplishments to themselves cause their sport is temporarily politically incorrect.

 

[ronin223]

I remember the first ban, the press made gun owners look like a bunch of nuts o terrorists.

Expect to feel that way forever, because that is how long this ban on ALL semi auto guns will last

 

[dolooper]

I have been giving this some thought since 'Friday'. Does anybody believe we/us will experience any greater level of criticism from the generally quiet, non-shooting population in the future as we continue to shoot either at the range or while at informal setups in the woods? I am not talking about the completely insane and irrational politicians we already are hearing from but more the possibility of dealing with someone in 'on the street' so to speak. Maybe even picketers at ranges/public shooting areas etc. I would like to think the the craziness of this will pass as quickly as it started but it appears the antis or going to get more than their prescribed 15 minutes out of this so am I thinking too far outside the curve or has anyone else considered something similar?

The short answer? Yes.

The long answer? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssss.

 

[cueball1214]

Unfortunetly i think it will outlast the news. Raw emotion is a powerful thing. We are not only going to be explaining our views to the normal opponents such as politicians, special interest groups etc. But to a large part of the population that has never felt ether way about guns. It is the same emotion I feel when i see the Westborough church members protesting outside of a soldiers funeral. It takes a lot of self control for me to recognize that no mater how much i disagree with their views, they do have the right. Some people are not as controlled. We have to just show that 99.9% of gun owners are safe, sane people that have them for sport, protection, collecting or all. My brother and i have been around guns since we were kids, my father took us to the range, has taken us hunting, but his wife in recent events has become upset with gun owners, the question why do people even own guns like Ar's or AK's. HE asked me this morning at work, just to see what I said, what the point is for me to have one. I told him there are many points. What is the point of having a car that can go 165 mph when around here you can only go as fast as 65 leagaly. Cause as long as i operate inside the law it is my right to own one. I shot it for fun. and i like to have it for home protection. The only way we can counter raw emotion is with facts. Are all of them going to change there minds and see it our way. No. I don't think there has ever been a single issue that every single person has agreed on. At the end of the day, it is a Right of ours, a very critical one, so important the founding fathers made the right to bear arms the 2nd amendment, not the 3rd not the 7th, the second, because they saw how important it was for the population to be able to protect themselves, weather it is government looking to take rights away, an invading army, or for personal protection against criminals. Some some will understand, some won't.

 

[just dan]

yup.
i keep on the down low about firearms generally, but some people know i hunt/shoot. some of them have been less than friendly with me lately.
just as well- not people i need as friends anyway.

 

[mjbskwim]

Every time I get the chance,I will ask the dems/libs if they feel good about how their heros exploited the families of Newtown.
Ask how they sleep at night know the people they voted into office couldn't even wait till the children were buried before they used them and their families to further their political agendas.
Ask them what they think of Bloomberg yakking on before the bodies were even cold.
How do they sleep being on the side of such heartless people.

Then tell them about the man in china that killed 22 children with a KNIFE

Then ask them if they thought it was cool that their illustrious leader had killed, 167 was it? ,children with his drones

Maybe how it's more likely that there child and themselves get killed by their doctor than by a gun.

Just sayin'

 

[Misterbill]

As RVTech said, it's already happening. TV shows have been cancelled, stores (Dicks) are dropping firearms sales, etc. People that I know that know I own and carry have criticized me.

Considering Dick's long-standing hostility to gun-owners, I'm not surprised.

 

[Misterbill]

I have been giving this some thought since 'Friday'. Does anybody believe we/us will experience any greater level of criticism from the generally quiet, non-shooting population in the future as we continue to shoot either at the range or while at informal setups in the woods? I am not talking about the completely insane and irrational politicians we already are hearing from but more the possibility of dealing with someone in 'on the street' so to speak. Maybe even picketers at ranges/public shooting areas etc. I would like to think the the craziness of this will pass as quickly as it started but it appears the antis or going to get more than their prescribed 15 minutes out of this so am I thinking too far outside the curve or has anyone else considered something similar?

Already happening.

It's very human and natural to look at something as horrific as this and demand that "something be done." The problem is that the only thing that CAN be done, which will help in the future is long-term, expensive and not very visible. (Increased access to and coverage of mental health).

People want something done NOW. And they have been bombarded by the media 24/7 that it's all the fault of the NRA and black rifles and that if only their fantasy plans had been in place, all would be lolipops and unicorns. So they react.

If you are armed with the facts, it's really easy to change someone's mind on this unless they're hysterical on the subject. I've had lots of conversations with antis who re-thought their position after talking to me.

Look, if there were some gun-control measure that would have a very real, very serious effect on violence rates that didn't have a correspondingly NEGATIVE influence on those same things, I'd be happy to consider it. But there aren't.

About a million (conservatively estimated) defensive gun uses a year vs. a few thousand murders.

The FACT that violent crime rates have consistently gone up when gun control is enacted in any serious way.

the FACT that gun violence is WAY down, year after year in spite of SPIKING gun sales.

The antis are just factually wrong. And easily proven to be so.

So don't get mad if someone criticizes your guns. Use it as a teaching opportunity. Zealots will never be converted. But they are a very small minority.

 

[Mikej]

My 87 yo mother asks me why "People" need to have so many guns. I give her all the standard answers and throw a few facts out there for her. Mom, and dad (passed two years ago) grew up during the depression. Dad was in the navy on the battle ship USS Terry during WWII in harms way fighting to keep people of the world free.

The media is pushing emotion where there should be common sense and facts, ONLY. The only reason the HONEST, LAW ABIDING, gun owning public is being targeted here is due to the media's inability to be TRULY fair AND balanced. Unless the day comes that media can go back to something like it was 50 years ago gun owners are going to be getting the stinky end of the stick!. And believe me my brothers, if there's any of you that think the left OR right news you watch is better than others you're as blind as mole rats!

Burt Gummer needs to come in here now and explain all the dirty dealings going on in the back rooms of the uber wealthy while the publics back is turned watching the "Media Circus".

Mike