Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: New policy discussion regarding individual and group insults [View all]spin
(17,493 posts)Your idea, if implemented, would be like requiring one boxer in a match to compete with his right hand tied behind his back.
I will agree that an editorial from WorldNetDaily is inappropriate. Perhaps we need to come up with a list of acceptable sites to link to but we should also be fair in that approach. A straight news story from Fox News that describes a shooting incident in a factual manner should be acceptable while a commentary piece that unfairly accuses Obama as planning to implement draconian gun laws in his second term would not be.
Obviously the NRA is a strong voice supporting RKBA. I feel that the NRA can be a valuable source for factual information about firearms but I do disagree with many of the political views of the organization. Many other gun owners must feel the same as the NRA has only 4.3 members out of 80 million gun owners in our nation. A yearly membership in the NRA is fairly cheap, perhaps the cost of two boxes of ammo. The NRA also does support many Democrats who are pro-RKBA. There are far more right-wing gun rights groups than the NRA, for example the GOA (Gun Owners of America).
Our object in the Gungeon should be to promote a rational and factual discussion about gun control. Obviously insulting another poster doesn't contribute to such a discussion and all too often both sides engage in such tactics.
If you are faced with a valid factual argument that is stronger than your position you should reconsider your stance on the issue. I have changed my views over the years that I have been posting here in support of RKBA. There are good points on the gun control issue that can be made by both sides and they deserve fair consideration.
I suspect that you believe that no "good" Democrat would ever support RKBA. If so, you should realize that the Democratic Party is a very large tent. Many Democrats own handguns for target shooting, hunting and self defense. They often have a considerable amount of money invested in their hobby and they see absolutely no reason to support draconian gun control laws. That in no way means that they are right-wingers. I come from a long line of Democrats who stood on union lines to fight for worker rights against the management of the steel and iron mills in Pennsylvania. and also were strong supporters of civil rights. But most also owned firearms and used them for target shooting and self defense. I don't believe any enjoyed hunting.
I feel that the true right-wing trolls in the Gungeon get weeded out fairly quickly and that is entirely fair. Surely you do not believe that all those who support RKBA and have posted here for years are all trolls. Democrats often disagree on many issues and it's hard to define who is actually a Democrat. Perhaps Will Rogers summed it up best when he said, "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."
I suggest that we should work together to promote a fair and honest discussion on the issue of gun control. I understand that emotional arguments that are largely used by your side are valid but you should also realize that facts and statistics from those who support RKBA also carry considerable weight.
If we are ever to be able to make any headway on the issue of firearm violence in our nation, both sides have to treat each other in a respectful manner. We may even have to be willing to compromise which unfortunately is a lost art in our nation.
DU is one of the few places on the net that allows a fair discussion on gun control. Let's try to improve the level of the debate but to give both sides a fair chance.