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"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory can be sure and not too costly, you may come to a moment when you have to fight with all the odds against you, and only a precarious chance to survive. There may even be a worse case - You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, and it will be better to perish than to live in slavery." - Winston Churchill
Last week, Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea published a column entitled “Preaching to gun owners is not the same as preaching to the choir” in which he touched on one of the greatest threats facing gun owners today … ourselves!
His mention of gun owner apathy is a perfect lead-in to this weeks “Myths of the Gun” column. The myth we will be debunking today is the belief that merely paying a yearly membership fee to the NRA guarantees the protection of our gun rights.
Now let me hasten to add that this is not meant to be an attack on the NRA. I am an NRA life member as well as an NRA certified instructor and they are a powerful force for good and deserve our support. However, they cannot win the day alone. Active involvement by gun owners in the public policy debate is required every single day!
A perfect example of the problem we face was a conversation I had at a local gun club several years ago. After shooting at the pistol range, I wandered up to the clubhouse. A bunch of the members had just finished shooting skeet and the clubhouse was packed. I was talking to a small group about the benefits of being active in state level organizations when one of the other members became quite agitated about the political discussion in the clubhouse. The conversation went something like this:
Me
"We need to support these state level groups more. If we don't continue to fight for our rights in an organized fashion, the government will continue to nibble away at them until we no longer even have the right to own guns."
Him"All these gun rights groups are just out to get our money. Anyway, the government will NEVER take away our guns. They are just too many of us.
Me"Look at what they have already done in places like Chicago, New York, New Jersey, California and DC. Don't think it can't happen here if people don't get involved in the legislative process. Wouldn't it be better to join in the legislative fight now instead of letting it get to that point?"
Him"Well, come the day they show up to take MY guns, they can have them bullets first. But until then, stop bothering me."
At this point, a number of other members joined the conversation, and I allowed the intensity to die down. But, afterward, as I was thinking about what was said, it became clear to me that this conversation was a microcosm of a serious issue facing the gun rights movement.
Simply said, the problem is that there is a great deal of political apathy among American gun owners. Many of these politically apathetic gun owners diligently pay their NRA dues every year and expect that this will defeat all attacks on our freedoms at the federal and state level without any further involvement on their part. When asked to support a state level organization, write a letter to the editor or to simply sign a petition, they become irritated and belligerent.
When these gun owners are pressed about their true dedication to the cause of gun rights, they invariably offer the infamous "… from my cold dead fingers" or "They can have them … bullets first". To these people, I would like to say, "Please stop with the clichés! If your freedom means so little to you that you are not willing to fight for it politically, then do not insult my intelligence by claiming to be willing to lay down your life for it. "
I am not trying to sound harsh, but I feel that this has to be said. Activism works! On the other hand, complaining and whining about a law that you were too lazy to fight politically does not. It only reinforces the negative stereotypes about gun owners.
In closing, I should say that I do understand the sentiment behind the clichés. I too will fight to the end to preserve our 2nd Amendment rights, but I will not wait until the battle has been lost to take the field.
- Atlanta: Court rules that legislator did not mean what he said
- Austin: DC gun control and ‘Governor’ Fenty
- Charlotte: Dial 9-1-1 and die ... again, and again, and again
- Cleveland: Gun control as a measure of safety and freedom
- DC: DC City Council afflicted by pistolgriphobia
- Denver: Economics 101: guns and monkeymeat
- Los Angeles: Sovereignty in 2009.
- Milwaukee: Help wanted- Pro-gun Wolves
- National: DoD under Obama squeezes already tight ammo supply
- Seattle: Gun rights community should not cheer so loud over demise of Seattle P-I
- St. Louis: Gun rights--not a 'poison pill'
- Wisconsin: Everyone including the cops need to know the Wisconsin preemption law
Comments
Go John! This is a conversation we need to have! As a relative newcomer to the 'gun rights' community, I am appalled by the apathy, misogyny, selfishness, short-sightedness, and passive-aggressive anger of many gun owners. Get angry at the messenger? Well, why don't you just turn in your guns now and join the Brady Campaign, because you are already doing their work for them. And guess what, the country doesn't give a rat's *** about white men with guns. It will be the women, Black, Hispanic, etc. gun owners who will decide the gun control issue. If you haven't reached outside your little box, you haven't done squat for our rights.
Guns - People ask why?
PEOPLE ASK WHY?
Why I Carry a Gun
My old grandpa said to me son,' there comes a time in every man's life when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin'.
I don't carry a gun to kill people.
I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
I don't carry a gun to scare people.
I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.
I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid.
I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.
I don't carry a gun because I'm evil.
I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.
I don't carry a gun because I hate the government.
I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
I don't carry a gun because I'm angry.
I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.
I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone.
I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy.
I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.
I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man.
I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.
I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate.
I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
I don't carry a gun because I love it.
I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.
Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves.
Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the
crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.
Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whoopin'.
author unknown (but obviously brilliant)
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A LITTLE GUN HISTORY
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
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China established gun control in 1935. >From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Guatemala established gun control in 1964. >From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Uganda established gun control in 1970. >From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Cambodia established gun control in 1956. >From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.
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It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own Government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in:
List of 7 items:
Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent.
Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent.
Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!
In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns!
While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.
There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort, and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.
You won't see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.
Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.
Take note my fellow Americans, before it's too late!
The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind them of this history lesson.
With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'.
During WWII the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED!
If you value your freedom, please spread this anti-gun control message to all of your friends.
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.
SWITZERLAND ISSUES EVERY HOUSEHOLD A GUN! SWITZERLAND 'S GOVERNMENT TRAINS EVERY ADULT THEY ISSUE A RIFLE. SWITZERLAND HAS THE LOWEST GUN RELATED CRIME RATE OF ANY CIVILIZED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!
IT'S A NO BRAINER! DON'T LET OUR GOVERNMENT WASTE MILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE ALL LAW ABIDING CITIZENS AN EASY TARGET.
I for one believe it is too late for a political solution. I do however, try to get new people involved in shooting/guns and other constitutional rights.
Perfect, John.
We Christians have the same problem: "I'm really impressed that you're willing to die for your faith, but are you willing to LIVE for it?"
Thanks.
Well John, it is not very nice to assume all the people with whom you disagree are lazy, or that if they won't write a letter to their congresscritter, they don't have the sand to fight. I have been working the political side since you were in diapers (or before), and I am tired. I also know the process is rigged, and that "activism works" only some times. I agree it still makes sense to use the pen or the courts, but please don't sneer at people who say "from my cold dead hands". It is they, as much as anyone else, who give the tyrants pause. Politicians don't want a civil war any more than anyone else does. They know not only their opponents will die in one.
Personally, I think the best thing one can do is the non-political solution of taking newbies out to shoot.
'...cold, dead hands' & '...bullets first'
These sentiments that John is talking about here are real. All it takes is just a few moments to send an email, make a phone call or write a letter.
Plus, if you're willing to end the life of other human beings without having first tried every other alternative, you should rethink gun ownership.
I couldn't agree more that most gun owners are apathetic about their rights, however, the main reason they are so apathetic is that they have been raised to believe they still HAVE them.
The fact is, every gun control law on the books, dating back to 1934 is a flagrant violation of the Second Amendment and the ONLY way to restore our Second Amendment right is to REPEAL all those laws that violate the Second Amendment. Period. Passing a myriad of laws that only make the pretense of "lifting restrictions" actually adds further to the eradication of our rights by adding yet more layers of bureaucratic hurdles to those already existing, as well as continuing a culture in which it is falsely believed that our rights emanate from government, as opposed to being fundamental requirements of our existence.
The Second Amendment says not a word about "guns" or "firearms." It says "arms," meaning weapons. It makes no stipulations as to what types of weapons, or who may have them or how, where and why they may have them. It places no conditions or limitations at all upon our fundamental right to the defense of our own lives and property, which is what the amendment was written to secure, in the first place.
A lot of people and no just gun owners, simply don't believe the political/legislative fight will ever accomplish what they seek. They've watched as the NRA has 'compromised' away little bits of what was supposed to never be infringed upon. They've watched as congess pushed through (with the blessing of the NRA) the NICS Improvement Act which laid the groundwork for denial of gun rights based on medical history and then watched as the very next version of congress passed a bill setting up a massive medical database that any agency can access.
What it boils down to is this: Many of us belong to the NRA but few of us trust it. Since the NRA is a lobbying organization and depends on influencing legislators to get what it wants and since it rarely gets what its members want I think it is reasonable to expect gun owners to distrust the legislative front and fall back to a more belicose position.
John,
You Sir are so CORRECT. It takes much more that NRA dues to keep our Constitutional Rights. People need to understand the 2nd Amendment wasn't created for duck hunters. It was installed for the very reason of what we are faced with today..A overly intrusive government attempting to distroy the Republic for Which it Stands....Our Forefathers so understood this from learning first hand of governments in Europe. Without the Second Amendment the others will fall....
I'm afraid I too am on the "too late" side to effect a political correction to these abuses.
Just like Paul, I am tired. I have been asked more than once if this is the "hill you are willing to die on". My reply has always been "Yes, but more importantly it is also the hill I am willing to kill on."
Having said that, as tired as I am and as hopeless as I now believe political activism is in our cause for liberty (this isn't about guns, it's about liberty) my conscience demands of me that I do all I can to dissuade those who push me to the point of needing to kill them or die trying to kill them.
At this point for me, it is about maintaining my honor, though I suspect the unpleasant conflict is inevitable. Simply because too many of us for too long have backed up bit by bit and trained our abusers to believe we don't have a sticking point past which we won't go. Being as they believe it with all their hearts and being as we have so far proven them correct, I cannot foresee a scenario where they will cease their depredations. Which means they will push past that point that cannot and will not be tolerated.
Even tiny little mice fight back when cornered with no hope. I should think we can at least rise to the level of mice.
The comments preceding mine are almost all in the "cold, dead fingers" camp. American's know that the right to keep and bear arms in an inalienable right, a right that cannot be taken or given away. There is nothing in the 2nd Amendment that says certain classes of people cannot go armed, or that certain other classes of people cannot lawfully defend themselves and their families.
But ask any NRA member, or almost any other gun rights group member if he thinks felons should be excluded from this right and he'll say, "YES!"
So all government has to do is call everyone a felon and we all lose our rights?
I am a felon. I copped a plea to a non-violent charge. While I was incarcerated, government reworded the verbiage of my charge and overnight, with the stroke of a pen, my charge became a violent one, and I became a violent felon.
Now comes Tennessee with a bill to ease the restrictions to gun ownership of felons, but it excludes "violent" felons! So my family has to go unprotected.
If we ex-convicts are so bad and dangerous, why do I need my government's permission to own a gun? Why don't I just get one? Because I am a law abiding citizen in spite what I was charged with or pled to!
And even if I was guilty, why would I risk going back to prison?
Bob Hale, I am not one of them. If a man can be trusted, he is no problem, regardless of his past. If he can't be trusted, he won't be stopped by the law anyway. So as for me, once a convict is through with all state supervision, he should be made whole. His family and his life count too.
If he's a bad actor, no law will constrain him. If he isn't a bad actor he shouldn't be constrained.
I always wonder why so many people have decided that there are only two answers for this. Why is the political process the ONLY alternative to being labeled as lazy or unpatriotic bastards who don't really care about their rights?
I spent about 40 years doing the political process, writing the letters, chairing the committees, and beating my head against the brick wall of legislation. Do we have more freedom now than 40 years ago?
I suspect that the legislators watch the letters and calls come in, snickering because they can see that we continue to waste our time and effort pleading and begging them for our rights.
Let us each do whatever we believe is right and effective, and stop fighting among ourselves if others choose differently!
I choose not to beg and plead. I choose to teach personal responsibility, self defense, and the truth about American history to everyone I can reach. If that's not good enough, I'm really sorry.
Divide and conquer. The US government doesn't have to do that to us. We seem perfectly happy to do it to ourselves.
John, activism is what got Minnesota to become a "Shall Issue" state. I should have met you or know of you through the local pro-carry site in Minnesota. I'm still impressed with the MN Carry Law. Now that I'm in Texas, I can see that some great minds put together that carry law in MN. Texas laws pale in comparison. We DO have to support these various pro-gun organizations because Obama and his ilk are trying desperately to make our guns useless or get rid of them.
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