Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Actually I could have just said anti gunners as they are almost universally misinformed. Of course there are the gun experts that are anti gun. I believe they all work for the Brady Campaign. There's no way you could possibly mislead people and twist facts they way they do without being an expert on the subject.
Anyway...back to the topic at hand. How can we educate anti gunners or the misinformed?
I take about 8-10 non shooters to the range per year. They love it and most usually come back.
I also leave my NRA magazines everywhere when finished. The gym, doctor's offices, the breakroom at work, etc. They get thrown away a lot but if one person gets informed then my work is done. That's how I got started being interested in politics. Not only did the NRA list the anti gunners they also printed their speeches. It's hard to argue with that.
Get our side out on unfriendly blogs. I do this on the Huffingtonpost. It's mostly leftwing drivel on that site but you can count on some kind of anti gun column every few weeks. Suprisingly the pro gun community is very well represented on this site and they always out argue the antis.
These are my ideas and personal practices. Any additional ideas that will help our side?

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

:clap2:
I think that is the most effective thing one can do. There's nothing like people learning first hand, that intelligent and sensible people own firearms, and seeing their prior belief that only dumb rednecks shoot guns, fade away.

When they show interest, I also turn them on to an instructor friend, whose beginning self defense classes always seem to convert the sceptics and gun fearing liberals.

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Ignorance is the greatest weapon that the anti-gun crowd uses on the masses. They know that the only experience most "anti-gun" people have with guns is what they see in the movies and on TV. News reports throw around words like "caches" and "AK-47" and people think "big pile of guns" and "full auto" when the reality is some dude had 3 guns and an AK-47 that could only fire semi auto.

Taking someone shooting shows them first hand that there's nothing to fear when properly handling a firearm. I think it's the only way to change someone's mind. Their anti-gun opinions aren't based on logic and reason, so trying to reason with them logically isn't going to convert them. Let them feel the rush of firing that first bullet. Watch as their brain becomes overloaded with excitement as they realize what just happened. Just let nature take its course...

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines the Anti-Gun Mentality


By Sarah Thompson, M.D.

"You don't need to have a gun; the police will protect you."

"If people carry guns, there will be murders over parking spaces and neighborhood basketball games."

"I'm a pacifist. Enlightened, spiritually aware people shouldn't own guns."

"I'd rather be raped than have some redneck militia type try to rescue me."


How often have you heard these statements from misguided advocates of victim disarmament, or even woefully uninformed relatives and neighbors? Why do people cling so tightly to these beliefs, in the face of incontrovertible evidence that they are wrong? Why do they get so furiously angry when gun owners point out that their arguments are factually and logically incorrect?

How can you communicate with these people who seem to be out of touch with reality and rational thought?

One approach to help you deal with anti-gun people is to understand their psychological processes. Once you understand why these people behave so irrationally, you can communicate more effectively with them.

the rest is at the link:

http://www.vcdl.org/new/raging.htm

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Ok, it's Christmas Eve at 10:30 pm and I'm getting ready to work the night shift. My wife and daughter just got home from a family Christmas Party and my daughter told me she was able to hold her own when talking guns with the hunters and gun owners among the vast number of lefties on my wife's side of the family.
I'm so proud.
It's actually hilarious. One family member bought an AK this summer and later traded it on an AR. My daughter was discussing laquer on Russian ammo and Pmags. He was very impressed. What she didn't know she faked just for fun and still pulled it off. She normally gets $$$$$ for bullseyes at the range for motivation and for getting off of the computer. I think I'll go give her an extra $10 for impressing me and not tuning me out when I'm giving her gun lessons (3 trips with the M4gery in 2 months to the range).

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Unfortunately, the grip that the mainstream media-hollyweird-tabloids have on people is enormous and mostly effective in furthering the dumbing down of the typical American.

Back in the day, I would engage people in conversation regarding current events and the erosion of the American way of life. Some would converse in like topics, but some would shrug and go back to reading their National Enquirer. Thus, I kind of backed off any attempts at 'changing' others or awakening them.

I think that the typical 'person' has to have their 'own' awakening. They have to reach a tipping point and seek out what they believe that they are missing. We cannot 'change' them, they have to come to a realization of what they need and then seek it out. For the most part, it works...look at the Saturday crowd at some gunshops, listen to the naive questions being asked...and don't laugh. The greenhorn asking, came to the realization that they are missing something and are asking about it. At THAT point, we can approach and engage.

But until they take that step, I say, let 'em graze with the other sheep.

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Awesome link. I'm definitely passing this along.

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

To the range, or from it?

That would be one way to convince them, wouldn't it?

"Do you want a gun?"
"No"
shoot him in the foot
"Do you want a gun now?"
"Yes"
"Go buy one. Next"

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

OK....I've got to admit I NEVER heard that one.....but maybe it's because I live in the middle of redneck country, and even the ladies carry.....ahahahaaaaaaa

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

But mass media/Hollywood works to herd them away from that tipping point. Our job is to push them in that direction. Point out glaring omissions by the media. Plant little seeds of thought. Ask the questions they can't answer etc.

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Being anti-gun is illogical. You need to understand that because people who are really anti-gun are not logical thinkers. This is a Myers-Briggs thing. Simply trying to educate them isn't going to be enough to get them to change. You can convert a non-gunner, however.

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

I usually say, "The thinking that guns kill people is like saying that a spoon made Michael Moore fat". A light bulb usually goes on after that.

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

I doubt very much that you have ever said that to anybody but your mother. BTW, how is mom? Still hating the 200,000 Haitians that died there and upset your regularly schedualed TV programs? :4_1_72:

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Hey now twinkle toes, last time I checked attacking members isn't tolerated. :wink:

Re: Educating anti gunners and the misinformed
 

Well, I keep sheep and there is a pack of coyotes living in my section. Nothing sets my hair on end like going out to the barn at night and hearing them howl at the full moon. My hand reflexively goes to my sidearm.

I've always thought it would be nice to take one of those nice out-of-work progressive folks out and hire him to guard the sheep for the night.

"Here ya go, feller... my finest bolt gun, an old Mauser. Accurate as they come and plenty good enough to hit a coyote at 100 yards. Now you've only got five shots before you have to reload and you can only shoot or load one cartridge at a time. Between shots all you have to do is rack this bolt back and then forward again. Shouldn't be too much of a problem so long as you don't miss.

"Now take care, there's about 30 of 'em out there and they've interbred with the local strays, so they don't fear gunshots or people. But I'm sure that old bolt gun will take 'em out quick enough. After all, ain't no reason a crummy farmer like me should need anything that shoots quicker.

"Oh, and by the way, if you hit a sheep, I'm takin' it outta your paycheck."