January 28, 2013

• Intelligent people that are fooled

  I had one of those “gun control” conversations with a friend today. This is someone who expressed passionately that guns are nothing but trouble. While I appreciate her views and her right to have them, it was obvious she didn’t understand some very basic facts about guns.

  For example, she kept saying that people shouldn’t own “assault weapons” or “weapons of war” like the one, she said, that the guy used in Newtown CT (he didn’t), and that he didn’t just have a regular gun but one that could “mow people down”.

  Her passion was obvious, and I can respect that. But I was frustrated because, in that brief conversation, I couldn’t communicate some simple facts:

  • an “assault weapon” is a term that just describes how a gun looks, not how it acts
  • regular citizens don’t own “weapons of war” (they might own a gun that looks like a weapon of war, but that’s not the same)
  • gun free zones don’t protect anyone but they do make things worse

  I was also frustrated because here was an example of an intelligent person who didn’t understand basic facts but had still formed very firm opinions. This, in general, really bothers me, because it’s epidemic in America today.

  The media is so dishonest and slanted that they must be intentionally lying. While talking to my friend, I kept hearing the same talking points that are reiterated by liberal politicians and reported uncritically (you might say promoted) by the mainstream media. When you hear about every gun accident or crime committed with a gun, but you never hear about a person who averts a tragedy because they were armed, or there’s never a reference to the millions of safe and responsible gun owners, that’s deliberate.

  I think the average person who believes in gun control probably doesn’t know the difference between an automatic weapon vs. a semiautomatic. They don’t know the difference between an “assault weapon” and an “assault rifle”.

  They certainly couldn’t tell you the test of what makes a gun an “assault weapon” without looking it up. And if they know the answer to that and yet still think banning them would do any good, then they’re clearly interested only in politics not safety.

  I’m not trying to make an opinion about guns into a moral issue. I know there are good people on both sides, and many people promoting gun control are doing it because of their compassionate spirit. I think I remember my Mom taking part in a rally for gun control at one time. So my goal here isn’t to necessarily change anyone’s mind about guns.

  But what I am trying to emphatically say is this – before you start promoting gun control, you need to know what you’re talking about! Learn some basics about guns – how they operate, the differences between the various styles and actions, etc. You don’t have to be an expert, but at least be able to discuss to topic intelligently.

  I respect someone with a different opinion as long as they’re informed. But throwing around buzzwords and political talking points is no replacement for knowing what you’re talking about. Doing that just makes you look ignorant.

   

  • 10:41 pm
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