I work six days a week, but never on Sunday. On Sunday, I go to church and try and relax and spend time with my wife. However, she often has other plans that involve us being social. I do not like these plans, but I like my wife, so this means I always end up at someone’s house for dinner or having someone over for dinner on Sunday.
For instance, this past Sunday, I ended up at her best friend’s house. Her friend had invited two other people that I didn’t know. And being that we’re in the Washington, DC area, one of the first questions that popped up was “what do you do for a living?”
I explained that I was a personal security specialist and that on the weekends I taught concealed carry classes and taught people how to shoot. As I said this, I’m pretty sure I saw smoke coming out of her friend’s ears and she looked at me like I was the devil. She immediately proceeded to go on a rant about why in the world would anyone need a gun, and all guns do is kill people.
I’m used to this type of reaction. It doesn’t bother me one bit.
I let this woman continue with her rant as I sat there patiently. Once she was done I asked her how she would protect herself if someone broke into her house at 3am. And you want to know her response? She said, “that’ll never happen, the chances of that happening are next to none. I’m not worried about it.”
That’s a response that I hear too often and it’s a sad one. Of course the chances of getting your home invaded are small, but it happens often enough and it’s got to happen to someone. I proceeded to tell this anti-gun woman that I have car insurance, yet I never hope to get into a car accident. I have homeowners insurance and I hope my house never burns down. And I have my “gun insurance,” and although I pray I never have to use it, if the day comes I’ll be ready.
In my reading…
I often come across women who were anti-gun until someone broke into their house and ended up raping them. Now these women own guns and go around convincing others to own guns. I certainly hope that the woman I was at dinner with never has a home invasion and never finds out the hard way why every American needs a gun in their home.
As I continued to explain why I think it’s important to own a gun, she didn’t want to hear any of it. Then, I asked her if she had ever shot a gun. Not surprisingly, she said no. So, I invited her out to the range the next time my wife and I go shooting. She accepted and said she would be interested in trying it.
Often, once a person tries shooting, they realize how enjoyable it can really be. But even if this woman still hates guns after we go shooting, at least she’s a little less ignorant about guns and has actually used one.
So, if you’ve got friends or family or co-workers who are anti-gun, it probably won’t do any good trying to have a conversation where you convince them why they need a gun. But, if you invite them out to the range, they just might realize that guns aren’t the devil after all. Heck, if you invite them out to the range and they end up getting a gun because they enjoyed it so much, then you might have actually helped save their life one day.
By the way, next week, I assure you that you won’t hear me telling any stories about Sunday dinner because I’ve told my wife I don’t care if the President (Obama jokes aside) invites me to dinner, I’m not going anywhere.
Photo Credit: DWF Shooters
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Every time I go shooting, I invite myself. 😀
And, yes, inviting anti-gun lawmakers does make a difference. ESPECIALLY when they are invited by someone who has views (on everything but guns) that are the same. I don’t care how much you dislike “commie liberals,” find those that go to your local shooting range (they probably stay quiet about their politics, but they’re there,) and ask THEM to invite more liberals. Especially liberal lawmakers who are anti-gun.
oh lord =)
I 100% agree with Ed for the same reasons.
Armed Liberals are out there and WE’RE coming to your ranges. Our numbers are higher than most would think, we’re mostly quiet, unasuming folks that come in, punch the paper for a while and leave.
RTKB is NOT a Conservative-only issue but something that every human needs to be involved in. Natural Rights are important, the only way they can be abridged is if we give up our own access to them through poor choices. The 2nd Amendment does not GRANT the Right, just written in stone to remind those who govern with OUR permission that they are NOT allowed to take our rights by force.
Shouting down Liberals as the cause of the loss of rights will no longer be tolerated. We are not the enemy. We are the best channel to the Antis that are most likely to change their minds about guns.
Several years ago, I asked one former co-worker to accompany several of us to the range. She was not a liberal, but, she was very anti-gun. We had to cajole her into going by the old “oh, so you are afraid that you may like shooting and ruin your reputation with your anti-gun friends?” Making a long story very short, she had never fired any type of gun before in her life. We bought her range time, provided some rudimentary safety instruction, provided the pistols and ammunition and the “eyes and ears”….she loved it!! Today, she owns a half dozen pistols and revolvers, shoots in a local “ladies league” and has even started reloading her own center-fire ammunition. She said that there were two things that changed her mind: One – we were all very safety conscious and pressed safety in everything we did, and, Two – everybody at the range was “normal everyday folks” and were also safety-oriented.
You mentioned that everybody at the range were “normal everyday folks”. I’m very intrigued with that observation. I find that the majority of anti-gun sentiment is built on fear which stems from stereotypes that are 100% inaccurate. These stereotypes are painted and distributed en mass via various media outlets.
When you take an anti-gunner to the range they can see that the owner of the gun range isn’t a morally bankrupt, toothless ex-con; he’s a friendly “everyman” business owner who cares about the law. They start to understand that when people arm themselves it doesn’t mean that there will be duels in the parking lot of the local mall at high noon over a parking space. They see “grandma” smile at them while loading her .38 revolver. They gain an understanding of the function of guns. They start to make distinctions between people who go through the trouble to own and operate firearms safely/legally and those who have utter disregard for the law.
In many cases, one trip to the range dispels just about every gun myth they’ve ever known. And, it makes me wonder if that doesn’t plant a seed that makes them question the sources of information that founded their fear in the first place.
The very premise of this article is one of my missions as a firearms trainer. I have begun to challenge anti-gunners to sit in on one of my classes for free. I explain that I don’t expect to change their mind but I’d like to give them an opportunity to consider their position with perspective from both sides.
I see these and similar stories about how all liberals are anti-gun. Well, guess what? I am a liberal, and I am in contact with quite a few people who profess what some of you who are bound and determined to pigeonhole everyone into one political camp or another as either conservative (meaning upholding the constitution and having Foxnoise on 24 hours a day), or that now-damned word, which could describe presidents from TR roosevelt to modern times, Liberal. Roosevelt was characterized by the detractors of his day as “altruistic,” which was the political way of saying “socialist.” But can anyone argue that Roosevelt was not one of our greatest presidents, who not only created a national parks system, but hunted as well. Who not only went after the corporations who at the time RAN this country–similar to today–but stood up for the working stiff rather than billionaires. So, which gets me back to being a gon-totin’ liberal. There are many of us out here, who believe it or not, believe in the constitution, and the second ammendment, and still vote for a president who has said NOT ONE WORD about taking away anyone’s guns. Nearly four years after his election, I would think that the argument is dead. As for the continued rise in gun sales, you can blame me for that, as well as others who are afraid that one day, it’ll be the conservatives–have you ever heard in the course of human history, about a “liberal” death squad, or “liberal” black shirts”–not any other group, who will threaten the freedoms we all enjoy, including the one to bear arms.
YES we can argue that he was not one of our greatest presidents! He was a socialist and an eco Kook “Sierra Club” yes there were good things about him but in today’s world he was a RINO! Or big governments republican, take your pick. Liberals are Liberals = Scum of the earth and as far as your POTUS, Fast and Furious ring any bells for his not bringing up gun control
He was talking Teddy, not FDRoosevelt. Even as a liberal, I have to admit that FDR bordered on socialist. Teddy, not so much.
So I’m curious what makes you think that Mrdogpatch and I are guaranteed “scum of the earth”? Is it purely the fact that we believe that people should have the freedom to do what they want, without fear of government influence? (You know, things like marry each other regardless of gender; or worship how we want, where we want, even if not Christian (or not be persecuted for NOT worshipping)…) Not have others views forced upon us? Or is it because we feel that people are more important than profits? That companies shouldn’t be treated as “persons”?
Also, I find it funny that both the NRA *AND* the Brady Campaign give Obama an ‘F’… (The DOJ made some motions at attempting to renew the so-called “assault weapons ban” that didn’t do much, then dropped it when some of the liberal Democrat gun-rights lawmakers told Obama they wouldn’t vote for it. Obama has signed two ‘ease carry restrictions’ laws – one allowing guns on Amtrak, one allowing guns in National Parks. That’s about all for his record on guns at the federal level – there weren’t any gun votes while he was a Senator. And his votes in ultra-gun-unfriendly Chicago aren’t always a good indicator. Lots of Republicans get more liberal when they move to a ‘wider constituent’ office, just as lots of Democrats get more conservative. Just see the backlash by some LIBERALS against Obama, for not being liberal enough.)
I suppose you’re also one of those people who were against the healthcare bill even though other democratic countries have been using the same system with great success?
Frankly, I don’t like to side with either political party because they’re both corrupt and haven’t been tending to the people’s needs for decades. I find myself generally with a liberal bias, yet I have a CHL and have been publicly vocal about my support for our 2nd Amendment rights. Does that make me a “liberal”? Maybe. However, it would be a fallacy to assume that I am like every other liberal.