How To Talk To Your Anti-Gunner Friends
You’ve probably already known this for quite some time but it has been a very polarizing time for our country. Perhaps it was always this way and we just chose to be ignorant. But, we can’t deny that Trump really shook things up just like he said he would ever since he campaigned for the presidential election of 2016. Maybe you’ve given up on your friends who don’t agree with your 2A-related hobbies. We’re here to offer some advice in case you still have the capacity, not necessarily to gunvangelize, but to have conversations with people that disagree with you.
Opening Up
Look, we get it. It’s hard to talk about this kind of stuff openly. There’s the fear of getting cancelled, doxxed at work, shadow-banned or just straight up banned on social media or worst case scenario; getting falsely red-flagged. The danger and risks are very real. We are very fortunate at 5D Tactical that we work in an environment where we don’t have to operate with those concerns but we recognize that is not the case for most people. With all that in mind, if you find yourself still willing to talk to people who are blatantly anti-gunners here are some pointers you might find helpful.
Refuting With Knowledge
One thing we’ve noticed when talking to our friends who tend to be pretty strong anti-gunners is that they may be very emotionally charged about several issues surrounding guns. It’s cool to be passionate about stuff but it’s kind of frustrating when it’s not backed by factual evidence.
We won’t be able to address every conversational scenario but we’ll use some common examples to give you the general idea of how to format your responses. Please note that some research and homework may be required on your own end:
“What is a ghost gun? They must be bad!” — Politicians and the mainstream media refer to ghost guns when they’re talking about 80% lower receivers and frames. According to the ATF’s own legal definition of what a firearm is, 80 percents are not considered as firearms — although, the ATF is currently seeking to change that definition. The reason why these sorts of parts and products are being framed as “bad” is because they can be completed into 100% firearms without a serialized number or a background check which some states require very strictly.
“Only criminals would buy ghost guns!” — That’s really not true. Just like any hobby that allows people to tinker and make DIY projects at home, plenty of Americans indulge in this hobby because it is fun and helps secure our 2nd Amendment rights at the same time. People do not solely buy 80 percents to commit crimes. In fact, if you do the research, most confiscations that occur of 80 percent builds were solely for ownership or possession and not necessarily for any violent crimes that were or weren’t committed. There is also an extensive history in American culture that dates back to the American Revolution in which “privately made firearms” were heavily relied upon to win the war.
“Only the police and military should have guns…” — If that’s really what you think, we invite you to buy yourself a one-way trip ticket to Hong Kong and tell us how that goes for you as China progressively erodes their cultural identity and political freedoms.
“Legislators shouldn’t be expected to know everything.” — Giving politicians this big of an out is simply way too much leniency. If that is the case, what is the Congressional Oversight Committee for? Politicians should be able to do the hard research to understand complex topics and learn about the contextual circumstances surrounding them if they’re supposed to properly represent their constituents. The fact is that they can, they simply choose not to because of their political bias and motivations.
“The NRA is just a bunch of lobbying scumbags!” — Well, we’re with you there. It really sucks that their executive leaders ripped off all their donors and members’ membership money just to live a lavish lifestyle (AKA embezzlement and fraud). The NRA used to stand for something, now they really just seem like a stopgap measure in protecting 2nd Amendment rights as they still do have some pull when lobbying. (As a comparison, the NHTSA and IIHS test car safety systems and crash ratings, they are independent and private institutions that are heavily relied upon by car manufacturers and consumers alike). Regardless of what anyone thinks of the NRA, the federal government still measures a lot of gun control laws using standards created by the NRA, so they do still have significant value as a private organization.
“We need more sensible gun control laws to reduce mass shootings.” — There are over 16,000 gun control laws in place and still there aren’t enough? This is why gun advocates fight tooth and nail for as many freedoms as possible because the 2nd Amendment has been progressively limited and increasingly restricted over the past century. So the fear that anti gunners would eventually ban and confiscate firearms is no longer a pipe dream. It’s been very real since 2016. Since then, multiple Democratic representatives have publicly stated that they would work towards that future. With regard to mass shootings, we refer you to the Mother Jones News Organization database on mass shootings. You’ll find that the numbers used by mass media in comparison have been inflated by many irrelevant factors, muddying up statistics that were created to benefit the anti gunner narrative. Mother Jones does not include excess factors.
“I support a gun ban and or confiscation.” — If someone says this to you, we advise walking away before your head implodes. Jokes aside, this may be when you want to challenge people’s values. Ask them why would they want to outsource their security and safety to someone other than themselves? What if the government doesn’t have your best interests in mind? Is it really so bad to take ownership and responsibility for your friends’ and own family’s safety? Why do you blindly trust the government so much?
When To Walk Away
Sometimes people can’t live or think in anything but black and white. Things have to be a yes or no for them. When a person is not open to really hearing what you have to say or understand where you are coming from, it’s completely okay to move on from that conversation or just walk away. There’s no way to force feed opinions or knowledge onto people who have no desire to listen. Other times, people just want someone to yell at too. Don’t let that person be you.
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