In his not-so-succinct, puddle-of-consciousness sort of way, TheYankeeMarshal makes an important point: The People of the Gun are not cold-hearted snakes. It’s an important meme that must be actively promoted at every opportunity. That’s why TTAG is supporting a new initiative by Gun Owners Of America radio host Bill Frady: the DGU project. Bill’s going to sally forth and video I Survived-like tales of Defensive Gun Use for his GOA, his radio program, YouTube and TTAG. If you have a personal tale of defensive gun use—which does NOT have to include pulling the trigger—please email a description of the event to [email protected] with STORY FOR BILL (all caps) in the subject bar. The DGU Project will fund raise hereabouts as well, with money ring-fenced for direct production expenses. Watch this space.
Excellent idea that will be ultimately ignored by the low-information politicians and voters. But if we can save just one brain…
Its about freak’n time. Regardless of how the civilian disarmament movement goes, it needs to be an on going project so the next time around we have a database that can be referenced as evidence.
Great work Robert looking forward to it.
ditto what @Anmut wrote above
Great video. Right up until the last 30 seconds or so.
It was an interesting view I hadn’t thought or seen before. It is true though. If you are knee deep in the situation, it can be more difficult to be rational.
We are not people, we are free citizens; those people who choose to go naked and defenseless, they are subjects and prey to whatever predator might choose to target them.
Speaking of being free citizens, it’s high time we used a little word-smithing of our own to counter words like “assault weapon” and “if it saves one child”. These are words and phrases that start movements.
So why not craft our own words and phrases that encompass the core argument we’re making for the firearms community that’s larger than firearms?
For example, at the very core of this national debate, we technically don’t want more guns on the streets, we want to able to defend ourselves using the most efficient and effective tool available to be on an level playing field with evil people that mean to do good people harm. That tool, just so happens to be a firearm.
That said, we are very much “pro-freedom” and “anti-tyranny”. Those are the words we should be using. That way, “anti-gun” people can stop using the argument where they believe the tool is what makes people evil, therefore more tools out there is bad.
Instead, we’ll should be “pro-freedom”, “pro-liberty” and “pro-self-defense”. And to be such means we are “anti-crime” and “anti-violence”. We are also “pro-individualism” and “pro-responsiblity”. Hence the 4 Safety rules for Firearms.
We are not “anti-government” unless that government aims to limit our freedoms, liberty, and means to protect ourselves.
Period.
Oh and we’re “pro-logic”, “pro-reasoning”, “pro-research”, “pro-education”, “pro-experience”, and “pro-fact” while we’re at it. And “anti-emotion”, “anti-kneejerk response”, “anti-lies”, “anti-stupid” as well.
After any type of national tragedy, especially a shooting like the one in Newtown, I turn for comfort, to the words of one of the greatest presidents in American history: Abraham Lincoln.
“Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
A. Lincoln”
That passage is the very embodyment of what American really means: freedom. There are many things we can, and should, do after a tragedy like the one in Newtown. One of them is not restrict the freedoms of law abiding Americans. The children of Newtown, just like the sons of Ms. Bixby, and those who died at Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Ia Drang, and Fallujah, were, in the words of Lincoln, a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Our hearts pour out for them, and thier famlies. We bow our heads and mourn their deaths. But we do no undermide the founding principles of this nation to assuage our bereavement.
I sympathize with your sentiments but I am afraid you have missed a key element. The sons and now daughters who die in battle died doing the nation’s business. There is meaning to that sacrifice. Newtown, Aurora etc, are meaningless acts of violence. Lincoln’s words don’t help here.
I know how you feel. Downunder the gun-control ghouls are eagerly awaiting any incident of mass homicide via firearm as a means to further push their anti-gun agendas. It doesn’t matter in what part of the world it happens or even if the firearm is effectively prohibited in our part of the world (nearly all the time these days). The local LAFOs (law abiding firearm owners) are getting tired of being international scapegoats, and I think the US LAFOs are getting tired of also being blamed as well.
When you punish the guilty, it is justice. When you punish the innocent, it is tyranny. I haven’t seen much justice done over the last nearly 20 years (since Strathfield and Port Arthur).
The pro-x and anti-y stuff is good.
Just to clear this thing up a bit, don’t we need something to counter OFWG? I know it bothers some of us, Esp the in shape white guys, the blacks, the women, the gays etc.
What is a great acronym for the gun-grabbers? MAIG, MDA just do not seem to do it.
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