First of all, let me say I?m pretty new to this group, and I will not presume to tell anyone here what they should or shouldn?t do regarding the business of the organization. On the other hand, I am a member now, and I should be entitled to voice my opinions. We have a first amendment, too, in case some of you forgot about it.
The purpose of my letter is to express my opinion (I remind you that it?s my opinion) on how to effectively go about spreading our message and garnering support for our cause. I realize, too, that we don?t all have the exact same goals, we have varying interests in terms of firearms, and that even among our group, we may not all agree on what is right or wrong regarding any kind of gun-control legislation. However, my advice should apply equally no matter what side of an issue you may support.
I think it is safe to say that most of us would like fewer restrictions (infringements) on our right to bear arms and to use them in whatever legal endeavor we choose. Personally, I believe there are reasonable restrictions and conditions regarding firearms that will not unduly interfere with our rights. I know some of you, and the NRA in general, are opposed to most any kind of restriction based on the ?slippery slope? concept. ?Give them an inch, and they?ll take a mile.? This is not to say that there isn?t some validity to that idea. Still, if we refuse to budge on reasonable restrictions, we are likely to face a more staunch opposition that will seek to totally disarm us. There are those already who strive for this goal, and there is no need to increase their numbers by failing to compromise on truly reasonable legislation.
I?m not going to get into specific laws that I would accept or oppose. Let it suffice to say that I am willing to accept some reasonable restrictions on my second amendment rights. Even I don?t believe that everyone, regardless of their personal background, should be allowed to possess and carry firearms. Where we draw the line is difficult to say, but I don?t think any of us want people who have a history of violent criminal behavior running free on our streets with guns and no way to stop them until after they commit another violent crime. Believe me, I realize laws mean little or nothing to these people, but we don?t need to make it easy for them.
Finally, to get on with the point of my letter, I want to say that sharing your opinion on any issue is a good thing to do, if you do it in the right way. Name calling, taunting, using foul language, inarticulate rambling, and demonstrations of illiteracy are not the right way. I?ve followed enough forums and online articles allowing comments to know that these things only further alienate the opposition and convince the fence-sitters to side with them. Sure, I have most of the same emotions as the rest of you. I get the same charge out of using phrases like ?you?ll get my gun when you pry my cold dead finger off the trigger? and ?an armed society is a polite society? and ?when you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have them? that many of you do. However, we must realize that the feeling of power and righteousness we get from owning guns won?t help when it comes to preventing or changing anti-gun legislation. We can?t point our guns at those who make the decisions and force them to vote our way. We have to convince them with logic and common sense, and perhaps, a willingness to give a little. Even if you don?t want to compromise at all, you can still be civil and logical and respectful of the other party?s perspective.
You have to keep in mind that many of those who are anti-gun either have no experience with them, or have had only bad experiences with them. The poor, hardworking citizens living in a crime ridden neighborhood who see their children being killed on a daily basis have good reason to think that if we can get rid of guns, everything will be better. The upper-class mother whose son was killed when his friend took him to the basement to show him Grandpa?s gun wants nothing more than to see guns go away. The friends and family members of those killed at Von Maur a while back probably would like to see stricter laws that might keep similar incidents from happening in the future.
Most of us realize that few of the existing laws do anything more than provide additional penalties for those who would assault, kill, rob, kidnap, rape, or even accidentally shoot someone. They don?t prevent the problems. But, not everyone acts on logic alone. Many act on emotion, and emotions run high on issues such as gun control.
We, as responsible gun owners, need more than anything, to convince the rest of the public that we pose no threat to them. We need them to understand that we stand in opposition to all that they fear from guns: both criminal and accidental shootings. We need them to understand that we respect their right to have their own opinion, and rather than put them down for it, convince them that they are wrong to support over-burdensome and ill-conceived anti-gun legislation.
Please, for the sake of our second amendment rights, think about what you say when you speak out. Do it, but do it with respect, with logic, with common sense, and with at least a little bit of realization that, just maybe, the other person has some valid concerns.
