A discussion of hoplophopia

[VikingWarlord]

I know that these two are popular among the INGO membership, talking about how to approach the topic when faced with anti-gun folks. Confrontation is the fastest way to make someone strengthen his or her own belief system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=56JSdttIv1k&NR=1

I believe that this sort of approach will help gun owners infinitely more than continually getting mired in screaming matches.

 

[38special]

Interesting video. This has always been an interest of mine. I find that most of the folks arguing against guns do so out of ignorance or fear - or even fear born out of ignorance.

I'd love to read/watch more from people smarter than I am in order to be able to more effectively combat the irrational arguments with logic.

 

[Dead Duck]

A discussion of [STRIKE]hoplophopia[/STRIKE] hoplophobia

FIFY





Sorry - I have Ortographobia.

 

[VikingWarlord]

FIFY





Sorry - I have Ortographobia.

Whoops. Proofreading doesn't always happen at work.

At any rate, I do feel like this is a really good take, especially when Mr. Colion Noir mentions "a healthy dose of empathy". Levelheadedness will prevail much more than screaming.

It has to be understood that people will never change their minds about anything immediately. Even if it's as simple as what to have for dinner, let alone something with as much political and emotional attachment as firearms.

 

[VikingWarlord]

Interesting video. This has always been an interest of mine. I find that most of the folks arguing against guns do so out of ignorance or fear - or even fear born out of ignorance.

I'd love to read/watch more from people smarter than I am in order to be able to more effectively combat the irrational arguments with logic.

It's mostly about your approach. Watch Colion's demeanor. He's always calm, collected, never resorts to name calling, and maintains a relaxed, yet passionate tone.

You will likely never be able to change the minds of the vitriolic few who make the most noise. Most people sit somewhere in between.

Those are the people to aim for. My girlfriend was raised in Chicago. Her dad suffered serious, life threatening injuries in Vietnam and so she grew up with that. Her brother is now an avid pistol shooter and she has hunters in her extended family but the "gun culture" was never really there as it has been with so many of us firearms owners; we have a completely different perspective.

However, because I wasn't a prick about it, she's agreed to learn more about it. We're going to the NRA Basic Pistol course at Indy Gun Safety on Sunday. I don't expect her to instantly fall in love with it but the fact that I wasn't constantly picking at her helped her warm up to the idea of finding out for herself.

I've had other conversations with people about the same thing. One of those happened about a week after Aurora, with a friend of hers that is absolutely ****-scared of firearms. I asked what her concerns were and then addressed them one at a time. We discussed what "semi-automatic" actually means. We discussed why people buy huge amounts of ammunition. We discussed the history of firearms legislation and the specific numbers relating to crime. That fear was just born from ignorance of the facts.

You won't convince anyone on a Facebook comment thread. It's just not going to happen. What you CAN do is throw out a standing offer to take a newbie with you to the range. Though it can get pricey, I always provide everything, even a box of ammo, because I feel like it's a worthwhile investment.

I've worked with several new folks and, in that time, only one didn't enjoy the experience. Most of them decide to purchase their own guns. That also might have been because the guy next to us was shooting a .45.

Just like everyone else, my experience influences my perception. I wasn't raised in a gun house. We had a .22 for plinking but that was it. I came to it later in life and so maybe that's why I can better relate to them. Understanding other perspectives is the most important factor in trying to win people to our side.

 

[GIJEW]

In my experience, there are those who are open to a factual discussion and being calm with them works great.
There those who are simply politically-correct bigots, and when they get on a slanderous rant about gun owners being terrorists that are responsible for murder &mayhem, sometimes it's better to just verbally '***** slap' them. Actually, I ended up haveing ONE coherent FB correspondence with someone like that. He "disappeared" after I patiently rebutted his assertions and gave him references to go read.
Taking them shooting is hit&miss. My VERY anti-gun sister-in-law, did get that semi-auto=full-auto is BS and corrected (at least once) some other antis about "assault weapons" not being machine guns. On the other hand, I took a friend of my brother shooting and he had a "blast". He's still preaching that people shouldn't be able to own guns though

 

[VikingWarlord]

In my experience, there are those who are open to a factual discussion and being calm with them works great.
There those who are simply politically-correct bigots, and when they get on a slanderous rant about gun owners being terrorists that are responsible for murder &mayhem, sometimes it's better to just verbally '***** slap' them. Actually, I ended up haveing ONE coherent FB correspondence with someone like that. He "disappeared" after I patiently rebutted his assertions and gave him references to go read.
Taking them shooting is hit&miss. My VERY anti-gun sister-in-law, did get that semi-auto=full-auto is BS and corrected (at least once) some other antis about "assault weapons" not being machine guns. On the other hand, I took a friend of my brother shooting and he had a "blast". He's still preaching that people shouldn't be able to own guns though

Don't get me wrong, you can't convert everyone and you shouldn't try. But you will stand a better chance of converting people by being rational, helpful, and patient than being a screaming dickhead.

 

[cjeffrey]

Logical thought and reasoning will get you the farthest in this topic of conversation. I offer to educate, not hate. ; ) If people keep taking it as if it is taboo, then it will be taboo.