If you want to win hearts and minds, this reddit post, “Confessions of a former anti-gun voter”, is great recon:
That was my reality until high school. The sport of marksmanship, the idea of shooting as a hobby, range day with friends - no more existed than competitive video gaming, fire-spinning or underwater basket weaving. Watch that point carefully – it’s not a judgement that people “shouldn’t” do those things, it is complete white-space to the idea they exist. Dating myself a bit, my sophomore year of high school was marked by the Columbine shootings. Now my list of firearms owners expanded to police, military, hunters and mass murderers. Bad things didn’t happen to good people, until every news station carried a 24/7 loop of bloody smeared handprints under a broken window left as children that looked like me fled a school just like mine.
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Time marched on and more violence, active-shooter training in my offices, gang wars, the Bundy militia standoff, the rise of the alt-right movement, armed police on hand during layoffs, domestic terrorist attacks, Nazi marches in the streets and a steady diet of media that reinforced the belief that any weapon you couldn’t hunt with was “an assault rifle” which still equated to “automatic weapon”. Was I wrong? Yes, I was. But understand — every belief I held that was anti-gun was held in the firm belief that my vote was taking weapons away from terrorists and actively protected my family. I never saw responsible gun owners as acceptable collateral damage, I genuinely believed that I was voting for laws that protected their rights, while taking weapons away from criminals.
Really important to understand that mindset. Guns just aren’t on most people’s radar. Those of us reading this newsletter spend more time nerding out on guns in a week than most people spend thinking about them in a lifetime. So remember where people are coming from on this stuff.
What doesn’t work:
Getting angry/defensive/raising your voice – The instant you’re angry, you’re dangerous to me. The minute I decide you’re dangerous is the minute I stop hearing anything you say. I will tell absolutely any lie necessary to placate you so that I can safely extract myself from the conversation. If I know you well I might give you a second chance, if you’re a stranger then it’s over. Is it fair? Probably not, but it’s kept me alive more than once, so I’m running with it.
Attributing malice – My opinions were held from lack of information, or misinformation – never malice. I never saw the rights of a responsible gun owner as acceptable sacrifices, or that my ability to protect my family should come at the cost of you protecting yours. If you believe I’m malicious, then the conversation changes to placating you rather than educating me. Calling me a libtard and dismissing me as stupid might be satisfying, but accomplishes nothing useful.
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What works:
Ask questions, and counter with approachable answers – The person who asked why I opposed assault weapon ownership got to teach me a little about weapon calibers and the idea that people buy parts to build their own firearms, so something could look capable of stopping a tank and be a caliber that could barely stop a deer. He didn’t fully change my mind, but he gave me enough to start recognizing the flaws in what I read.
Highly recommend reading the whole thing. And it’s good for a re-read when you take newbies out to the range.
This week’s links
Scavenger hunt, Dead Air style
Cool race from Fort Worth to Austin.
Garand Thumb on Palmetto State Armory’s AK-103
American-made AKs have come a long way. A lesson in the power of focusing on what customers want.
Tactical apparel and accessories are selling like hotcakes
(Headline edited for less alarmism.)
Gun Owners of America sues Philadelphia over carry permit wait times that run into 2022
Shout out to Stephen Gutowski for staying on this story.
OSD Office Hours
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