Anti-Gun Folks – Page 79 – Shall Not Be Questioned

We Seem to Have a New Anti-Gun Blog

As can be expected, the proprietor seems to be quite angry, and willing to engage in personal attacks against gun owners instead of making reasonable public policy arguments. In truth, I share the author’s revulsion to bumper sticker sloganeering when it comes to political debates, but to pretend this debate has been only about bumper sticker sloganeering is to erect a straw man. Anyone remotely familiar with this topic, other than superficially, knows that the fight for the Second Amendment has had a great deal of depth to it. Sure, there is bumper sticker sloganeering that happens, but to focus solely on that is to ignore the breadth of the debate and scholarship on this issue is to miss the boat. While I’m happy to see our opponents busy erecting and tearing down straw men, it’s done little to advance their cause.

So I encourage Mr. (Ms.?) Weapons4Sale to hang about, and engage in some healthy debate. At best we will probably have to agree to disagree, but at least we would have come away with an understanding, a real understanding, of the other side’s positions and arguments. A well-educated activist, being necessary for effectiveness on any issue, should know their opponents arguments and positions well enough to be able to argue their positions as well or better than they can. To fail in that task is to fail to understand the importance of knowing the mind of your opponent. When I’ve successfully made those kinds of predictions, it’s because I’m constantly thinking what I would do if I were them, and if you know your opponent well, you can put yourself into their shoes. The gun control movement’s unwillingness to engage in this kind activism, and instead choosing to continually erect and tear down straw men, and engage in ad-homenim attacks against gun owners, guns and gun rights, has hurt it deeply. For this we should all be thankful.

Remember, They Aren’t Gun Prohibitionists

At least that’s what they say. When I read hysterical machinations such as this, I can’t be convinced. What has Dan Gross so hysterical is this incident in D.C.Â Basically what seems to have happened was hipster D.C. dude orders a new TV from an Amazon affiliate. Said affiliate must also ship firearms, and had intended a Sig 716 to a Pennsylvania FFL. But instead of shipping the 716 to the FFL, they shipped it to the Hipster in D.C. Hilarity ensues. No word on whether a Pennsylvania FFL was confused about why he received a television. Sounds like someone slapped the TV shipping label on the wrong box to me.

Now, the issue here is, as long as you can legally buy and sell firearms, every once in a while, mistakes like this are going to happen. Anyone who doesn’t wet their pants at the sight of a gun, I think, can understand that. Even common carriers can screw this kind of thing up. It happens. Which brings me to a point: the Brady folks are definitely out of the policy space on this one. This is meant to scare the people who would wet their pants if they opened a package they expected was a TV and turned out to be a Sig 716, and convince them the only possible way to eliminate this frightening and debilitating possibility is to donate money to the Bradys.

Esquire Article Seeking Feedback from Gun Owners

This Esquire article, which starts off saying the gun control debate is over and gun control lost, suggests the NRA is loony tunes for saying gun control is a threat, then proceeds to call for more gun control. It ends asking Â why gun owners haven’t seized their movement from the fanatical bastards at the NRA:

My question is: Where in the hell are all the “responsible” people today? Where were they two weeks ago? Make no mistake. Without them, this profound problem cannot be solved. If they are the majority â€” and god knows, I hope that’s the case â€” then why don’t they wrest control of their side of the issue, and of the NRA itself, from the crazy mountebanks who are only in it for the buck? I am quite sincere about this, and I’d like any gun owners who read this blog, and especially any members of the NRA, to provide me with an answer. Where are you people?

I suggest folks follow through, and provide him with an answer.

UPDATE: We can see how well a defense of lawful gun owners participating in the political process is taken. As sample so far:

Because it is pointless to engage a debate with someone as transparently nutters as yourself.

Now go do your little end zone dance because I refuse to treat you as an intelligent person worthy of baseline respect.

This came after the commenter discussed how easy it was to refute the arguments made, but refusing to actually refute anything when called out.

Gun owners are paranoid …

…Â because no one is advocating we come to take away your guns. These types of sentiments are common enough in my Google alerts, I seldom comment on them. Given that they are far far outside the mainstream of American thought, I don’t feel a need to answer them. But every once in a while we need reminding that any gun control advocate who tells you that is trying to sell you a bridge, even if it’s only piece-by-piece.

The New Civility

I realize that this stuff gets a little old, but I’m always amazed at the creativity that anti-gun folks bring to the table when it comes to silencing their political opponents. For example, one woman wants to transition from a volunteer military to one that institutes a draft based on political views:

Why don’t we send #NRA to war zones, and bring some war-weary soldiers home?

— Laura Goodwin (@ToolPackinMama) July 31, 2012

This person wants everyone to know that those citizens who have a different interpretation of the Second Amendment clearly should be forced to pay for other people’s medical expenses, regardless of the fact that they have nothing to do with that person or the circumstances that caused medical care. Since I assume one would need to tax NRA members at or near 100% in order pay the entire healthcare needs of the rest of the country, I guess this person is advocating for government-mandated bankruptcy for all of those who disagree with his views:

.@supermanhotmale: The NRA does NOT make guns, they just support the murderers….#NRA / AND SHOULD PAY ALL MEDICAL BILLS!

— LOrion (@LOrion) July 31, 2012

This person believes that all NRA members are male. Of course, this comes with the always popular small manhood joke.

Bet not a lot of #NRA members are nudists!Cause there’s nowhere to place a counseled weapon and they’ve got tinny peckers!

— AnonMike (@ZedRebel) July 31, 2012

And for the groups that like to say they aren’t really trying to confiscate guns, well, maybe a little education is in order for their supporters:

Getting calls from the #NRA <<<. Yes, I do support the UN being on American soil and trying to take away our gun rights, guns are not good.

— Alex Gray (@afgray95) August 1, 2012

Of course, maybe giving them that advice is a bad idea. If their followers were educated on the reality of politics and law, they might actually figure out how to win a few battles on the political front. Oh, wait, that requires support from people who actually turn up to vote on the issue, so scratch that.

And, finally, we have a few more tweets about Olympian Corey Cogdell who has been witness to the love and understanding that animal rights activists show for all of God’s creatures on this earth:

@coreycogdell I hope that someone someday shoot your whole familly just practicing.

— Pablo Honney (@pablito_honas) August 2, 2012

@coreycogdell SHOOT YOUR ASS!

— rm (@fingerwom) August 3, 2012

@coreycogdell please go shoot yourself in the knees. YOU ANIMAL MURDERER!! you’re a disgusting human being.

— Konejira (@Konejira) August 3, 2012

Other Delving into MAIG’s Relationship With City Governments

Thirdpower uncovers a very interesting story about MAIG conspiring with the Mayor of Columbus to exploit the Chardon mass shooting. I encourage you to follow the links. I had speculated back when this happened it was a coordinated effort, designed to get e-mails. Turns out I was right.

The Laws Don’t Work, So Bloomberg Says We Need More Laws

Huffington Post has done an interview with King Bloomberg, replete with choice quotes:

“I don’t think there’s anybody, any rational person, that seriously could argue that what we have and the way we enforce it prohibits carnage,” he said. “There’s 34 people killed every single day [nationwide]. We’ve killed more than 400,000 Americans since 1968, when RFK and Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated. That is more Americans than died during WWII. So the argument that we can do with existing laws and stop this is just preposterous. It isn’t worth having a discussion about.”

So the laws on murder, which can earn you the death penalty in many states, don’t stop people from murdering each other, but a few extra gun control laws will do the trick? Sorry, but I don’t think there’s any rational person that doesn’t think Bloomberg’s assumption is full of excrement.

The American Hunger for More Gun Control

We keep hearing from the gun control people that this time will be different. The AP reports on a protest in Colorado by gun control advocates, “A small group of gun control advocates rallied outside the campaign stop at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.” Now, keep in mind this is the same media that’s been all too willing in the past to hide poor turnout at gun control protests, or inflate their numbers. So if the media is saying it’s a small group, it’s a small group. This is not what a national movement looks like. This is not an America that’s hungry for more gun control.

More Attacks on Sport Shooters & Hunters

I already highlighted the Twitter and blog attacks on U.S. Olympic shooter Corey Cogdell last night, but reader TS pointed out one of the Facebook groups organizing the attacks. Here’s just a sampling of comments I caught with screenshots this morning before we lost power.

I know that Shootin’ Buddy was noting that many of the threatening comments on Twitter were coming from people in other countries, but several of these folks are Americans.

I also thought it was worth highlighting because one of the comments relates to something I posted about recently – when someone who disagrees with gun owners or hunters on a matter of public policy, they try to define said disagreement of sign of a mental illness.

Abusive Anti-Hunting Advocates are Targeting U.S. Olympic Shooters

With the various Olympic records being shattered by American shooters in London, there’s an increased interest in the human interest stories behind Team USA. Unfortunately, that increased coverage has resulted in animal rights groups learning that many of our Olympic shooters – gasp – hunt! Here’s one report about the biggest attacks on Corey Cogdell:

She grew up in Alaska where wild game was whatâ€™s for dinner, hunting and fishing with her father and her sister. It was hunting that lead her to competitive shooting, which lead her to the bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. But, the rabid animal rights groups…started berating Cogdell with nasty comments and death threats. …

Cogdell gave a great statement on her Facebook page defending her hunting. Unfortunately, the comments have become so terrible that she decided to take down her fan page.

By the time I heard about what was happening, the page was removed. However, that hasn’t stopped animal rights activists from attacking her on blogs, Twitter, and other social networks. Here’s one woman who tries to claim that Cogdell conducts her Olympic practice on animals. You can find a Tumblr user who not only spreads the same lie about using animals for target practice, but goes on to say this about our Team USA Olympian:

Corey demonstrates true pyschopathic behaviour in this photograph by her lack of remorse.

Activists have started a petition out to convince the US Olympic Committee to kick hunters (and all of those who defend lawful hunting) off the team. Another animal rights blogger rants about how an athlete who hunts should be considered as engaging in misconduct:

Misconduct is a very mild word when used in reference to Olympic medalist, Corey Cogdell.

But I think Twitter is where some of the worst things have been posted to Cogdell’s account. There are the threats & wishes for bodily harm:

@coreycogdellYou are a DISGRACE to AMERICA..Killing Innocent Animals for Fun..I Hope someone HURTS You Badly over There!!!U R A POS!!!

— Y does that Matter (@GAC_BONESaddict) July 28, 2012

@coreycogdell U disgust me n clearly many people U sry excuse 4 a human being dont let a bullet hit u in the ass on the way out when u LOSE!

— amber (@AnimalLovrAmber) July 28, 2012

@coreycogdell i wanna shoot your face off bitch! #badluck #karma #watchyourback

— Mob Ruldoon (@mobruldoon) July 30, 2012

@coreycogdell i hope your rifle backfires on you,,animal killer!!!

— desmond van staden (@desmondino) July 28, 2012

@coreycogdell So, do you like to kill animals, right? Go fuck yourself nasty whore! You must dead.

— Alva Rojas (@rojas_alva) July 30, 2012

@greysealhugger @sadiemae1967 @coreycogdell You’re kidding?? She should be put in the line of fire & are how she likes it! Sick individual.

— Lennox Law (@lennox_law) July 31, 2012

@coreycogdell Youre not remotely welcome here! Youre pointing that gun in completely the wrong direction you moo-cow.

— Jade Fluffy Lay (@Fluffy_4eva) July 31, 2012

There are the wishes for her to fail:

@coreycogdell not welcome on our soil, praying you miss every shot, murderous excuse for a human being. #Olympic2012you are NOT worthy

— Teresa T (@riverdancefan) July 29, 2012

@coreycogdell I hope you fail miserably.You are disgusting.

— Nicholas (@NicholastheWise) July 29, 2012

@coreycogdell What You have done to all these Animals,seen on your Fb Account already sent to the IOC to get a Killer like U OFF the Games!

— sik ion (@sixyl) July 29, 2012

@coreycogdellShoot targets, not unarmed defenceless animals,I hope your olympic dreams wind up as dead as that zebra!

— Marilyn Legge (@ScantiLee) July 28, 2012

Yes, this is the kind of support that our Olympic athletes are getting right now as they prepare for their competitions. So, if you’d like to lend a little support to Team USA, you can find the list of all of the shooters on Twitter here. I’m sure they could use a bit more positive support after seeing what Corey has had to deal with.

UPDATE: Here’s even more threats against Corey from other networks. More Americans are involved than on the Twitter accounts, including a Minnesota man who says he wants to physically assault her.

Below the jump, there’s more of a taste of how these animal rights folks view hunters just because they don’t agree with the pastime. I suppose it’s a great representation of the new civility. Continue reading “Abusive Anti-Hunting Advocates are Targeting U.S. Olympic Shooters”