Real America with Abe Sauer: The Gunmen Among Us
After pouring over literature, message boards and talking with proponents, it’s challenging not to see those who carry a handgun as dweeby 15-year-old kids who carry a condom everywhere. They’re “prepared,” “just in case,” because “you never know,” “it could happen.” Equally, they both seem to fantasize about situations when they might actually use it. It’s this way that some CCWers emphasize rare or unlikely “tactical” scenarios that will never materialize that make it a test for a rational person to take the movement seriously. And yet, the effort should be taken seriously because the driving force behind much of it is a genuine desire to be safe and protect oneself because “the system” is failing at this responsibility…
Great commentary. I feel like a star after being mentioned, by profession, in your complete posting at theawl. The discontinuity in the stereotypes might have been highlighted further if you had referred to me as your LIBERAL local mechanic, as most people probably assume that your “local mechanic” would be a conservative.
As with most issues that lend themselves to extremes, moderates often don’t want to be attached to it, much like the father’s rights movement. There are a lot of gun owners, and CCW holders, that can’t relate to activists or even the NRA. There is almost a stigma related to ownership/membership, as you discussed, because of them. There are a even more liberals that can’t relate to the “guns are evil” crowd.
So why the permit for me? It’s a hassle to lock the gun in the trunk while traveling, and ND law requires that 1 hour after sunset. Some of my vehicles don’t even have a trunk, and I’m not a fan of legal gray areas. The extent of my tactical thinking is; which round to buy for target practice, which for predators that might be a threat to my animals and possibly family, and how to not get arrested for failing to follow the letter of the law.
Comment by Plead the fifth — 13. March 2010 @ 13:17