I've put more posts up here in the last week than in several months prior to that. I deeply wish that I had a better reason for doing so.
We, as gunnies, are under attack for the actions of madmen. Our ways and beliefs are going to be decried as 'enabling'. We are going to be told that these actions are due to OUR guns, OUR rights, OUR beliefs, despite the fact that this could not be further from the case. We are going to be told that we are few, and alone, and our rights should be sacrificed on the altar of political belief. Do not believe them.
Do not let them hound you into silence. People are going to be throwing around terms like 'Gun Lobby' and 'Evil NRA'. Don't let them get away with it. They want us to feel like we are alone in the woods, and we are surrounded. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. There are millions of us, in thousands of towns. We are in all 50 states, DC, and other countries. Remind them. When you see your neighbor believing the lies told about us, remind them that the gun lobby is YOU. Remind them that they are not removing the rights of some faceless, nebulous gun-owner. They are robbing the rights of their neighbors, their friends, their family. Be the face of the American Gun Owner. Remind yourselves and each other that we are not alone in this fight.
Our political opponenta will try to paint you with the blood of these children- remember that this action is not on your hands. They will try to paint you as uncaring monsters- show them they are wrong, show your neighbors and friends that those people are wrong about you. These are people that are willing to lie, to cheat, to use vitriol and bile against us. Rise above that. Expose their lies, brush aside their vitriol and stand proud. Show people the quality of your nature ans your beliefs, and the nastiness will hold no meaning.
Above all, do not fall silent. To retreat is to cede the arguement, and they that lie, and cheat, and defile your character while dabbling in the blood of the innocent and the grief of those left behind, will win the day. Don't sit back, and allow your rights, your reputation, and your culture to be sullied like this.
Be sure to mention that it is the government's inaction to provide adequate health care to this individual, or affordable mental health care. It should not be harder to get mental health help than a weapon. That is the real problem.
ReplyDeleteSorry, K, but I have to disagree here. The real problem is that the stupid people in this country outnumber the non-stupid as seen in this last election. We have people in this country that are not constitutionally minded and don't care about personal liberties.
DeleteAll they care about is control. Everything else in this discussion is nothing but a vehicle for them to get that control over me and you. Don't get caught up in that discussion.
No, I don't think that we disagree. It is about control of the people by the government.
DeleteThe amount of stupid people in this country is another topic unrelated to gun legislation. The uneducated voter is a real problem in today's America. Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer that wouldn't violate many constitutional rights.
Agreed, with a reservation-
ReplyDeleteIts harder to get help than a gun- so lets make it easier to get help, not harder to get guns.
This is the crux- as a libertarian, I can't condone many of the things that are done in the name of Government Help. But there are some things we can do, as a government and a society, to help people. Roads, Justice, National Defense... These are things that we can agree are better served by working in common. To help fix the availability to of mental heath help, I think we need to revamp how people think and feel about mental illness. The endemic tendency of the AMA to be anti-gun makes it LESS likely that people will seek help. Making a proper diagnosis less likely to cause a total loss of rights would make it more likely for peopke to seek out help.