I think the level of hatred and demonization here is chilling.
There are fringe-groups, in every bastion of society imaginable. The gross majority of gun owners are not in this fringe group. The majority of gun owners are responsible, level headed, law abiding citizens enjoying a legitimate sport. They are no more dangerous than the his hypothetical neighbour growing roses, or the college student renting the house across the street.
If the comments I am seeing here tonight were directed at any identifiable group but the easily vilified gun owners, it would be considered hate speech. This is appalling to see in an otherwise inclusive and modern society. Never in all my debates about all subjects under the sun have I seen this level of ignorance, hatred and absolutely corrosive language. Fifty-five Million American Citizens have just been dubbed 'assholes, frothing at the mouth with bloodlust' to paraphrase.
Ladies, Gentlemen, those with non-binary sexual identities, we as gun owners are not the boogeyman. We are not as portrayed by the media. We are not the ghoulish, lifestealing abominations the commenters in this thread believe us to be.
The first picture features an M134 Dillon Minigun. It is illegal for citizens to own. It is either a prop, or is owned by a weapons manufacturer doing Holiday Pictures. The woman is holding a Kalishnikov Variant. Civilian legal and well suited to hunting (a shock, I know). The man is holding an AR15 (Armalite Rifle model 15) Variant with what is supposed to look like the M203 grenade launcher. It in all likelihood is the more common 37mm flare launcher, attached to the rifle because the owner thinks it looks 'neat'. The AR15 is also an excellent hunting rifle. It is black and plastic because black plastic is light, durable and requires no oiling. The Machinegun appears to be an M60 GPMG. This one I may be mistaken on. It requires a Class III License to possess. They are yet to be used in a crime.
The second photo features two generic AR15 variants. As mentioned above, both suitable hunting rifles.
The third looks like a family shooting trip. One where the little tike is facing his first introduction to firearms, shooting, and all the safety with it. The comment that it is dangerous because the firearm is loaded is preposterous. It is beyond unlikely that a loaded (appears to be a glock, or perhaps another striker-fired pistol) handgun to a child. All the guns in this picture are hunting rifles or handguns. Nothing spicy in there, save for the attractive young woman in red. They all had a fun day and no-one shot up a pharmacy.
We, as firearms owners, are not frothing at the mouth. We do not long to kill. We do not get drunk and beat our wives. We are not religious lunatics waiting for doomsday. We are your doctors. Your soldiers. Your teachers, Lawyers, police officers, cabdrivers, construction workers, businessmen, fathers, mothers and tax bastards.
I, as a gun owner, hope I never am in a situation where I may have to take a life. The taking of life is something, even under entirely lawful and morally justified circumstances, that will change a person and stick with them forever. The very wise Dave Grossman is a man I would consider the world expert on human aggression, violence and the effects of those on society. I recommend his books highly. He writes on these subjects and it would be a great service for everyone, nomatter what their views, to read them.
Hunting both for sustenance and management is a good thing. No one is more concerned with and involved with the management and success of wild animals than the hunter. We fund it, we participate in it. We gain from it, as it in turn does from us. It is historically valid. It is currently relevant.
The continuing transubstantiation of guns for 'phalluses' is gratingly ignorant. I cannot kill a 3/4 tonne moose with my penis. I can with my hunting rifle. It will then go in to my freezer and provide me with freerange, organic meat for many months. I do not wish for a bigger penis. I don't own guns out of penis envy, spite or compensation. I own them for the same reason as I own any of my other tools. They fulfill a specific function. I cannot begin to imagine how the phallus argument would apply to the large and growing percentage of female shooters, including my wife. I don't care to imagine her filling a penis-insecurity with a firearm.
Stop the hatred. 1000 years ago it was the jews. 100 years ago it was blacks. 50 years ago it was gays and women. Now it is gunowners - be them hunters, sport shooters or collectors.
I would like to condemn in the strongest possible terms those who abuse firearms. People who commit acts of unprovoked violence are evil. I wish all these acts could be prevented, I really do. Mental health is in my opinion a bigger issue than is that of guns. Maybe this will be addressed by Obamacare. Maybe it will be addressed by the horrific tragedy in Newtown. I know when I heard about that terrifying act, I hugged my daughter tightly, and shed more than one tear for the victims and families of such unthinkable violence and mental illness.
If nothing else, take away from all I have written this: We are just like you. we have kids. We have wives. We have cars and jobs and houses. We care and vote and read and eat just like everyone else. Stop making us out to be monsters. Monsters we are not, no more than the Jews, Gays, Blacks and women hated before us. Attitudes like this are the reason there is violence in the world. The gun, knife, fist, bomb, and anything else that has ever been used to hurt someone was used in anger. In hatred. Because one party detested, hated or wouldn't accept another. Accept one-another. Even people who's skin is different. People who worship a different god, or none at all. People who are richer or poorer, more or less intelligent. People from all walks of life. People who are gay, straight or transgendered or curious. People who hunt. People who are shameful enough to speak with hatred.
Violence and murder need not be. They are both facilitated by the attitudes I see here. Love and care for, and watch it dissappear. Accept me as I have accepted all of you. Together, stand against violence. Against thuggery. Against corrupt and self serving politicians thriving on tragedy. Unite against the glorification of violence and death by the media. Unite for the simple reason on not being divided.
Love. Be loved. Care for and be cared for. Do not focus on the gun. Focus on people. People are the makers and doers of everything in this world.
-Dan
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