I'm now an active combatant...

[Canonshooter]

...in the battle for the 2A.

For decades I have stood mostly silent on the 2A, only occasionally engaging in debate with the uninformed. I was content to remain "under the radar" while contributing to the NRA and other gun rights organizations, and participating on sites like this one.

With the latest assault on our constitutional rights, I could no longer remain unengaged. I am now using social media via my Facebook page in an attempt to educate the uninformed. Many old friends who I have not seen since high school are sharing my posts and I am engaging in debate on many pages with those who support gun control. Doing so in an objective, respectful manner is IMO our very best tactic at this point.

This forum has served as a great resource of information, and truth be told, the inspiration to get off my ass and "take it to them." Thanks to all and may victory be ours.

[warpigM-4]

Outstanding good work

[Belmont31R]

Good job. I've turned a few people and put the pressure on my reps through 'social media'.

[Suwannee Tim]

"Good Joe. Damn good Joe."

[Clint]

Good work.

Most conservative Americans are happy to mind their own business and not bother anyone.

Even to the point of being very discrete about owning or using guns around others that don't own or "like" guns.

But this recent attack on our rights requires action.

It's no longer enough to mind our own business.

A full court press is required to educate the ignorant using common sense and firm reasoning.

[Canonshooter]

This posted on my FB page;
-------------------------------------

I grew up on Long Island in a non-gun owning, liberal-thinking family. Other than an old LeFever 16 gauge double-barrel shotgun inherited from my grandfather gathering dust in a closet, I was never formally introduced to firearms ownership at that stage of my life. In my high school years, the old LeFever found a home in my bedroom closet and occasional use shooting clay pigeons in the woods of Yaphank. Other than busting skeet, my exposure to firearms, the shooting sports and the 2nd Amendment was non-existent, as was my experience of being a victim of crime.

In January of 1979, I married Donna, who I knew and had admired from high school. We were in our mid 20s renting a house in a middle class neighborhood in the summer of that year, and along with a dog we had rescued from a local shelter a few weeks earlier, had retired early one evening while there was still daylight. With our cars in the garage, some windows left open, all of the lights off and a window air conditioner droning in the bedroom, we were awoken around midnight by our dog growling and the hallway light shining around the edges of our closed bedroom door. Upon getting up to investigate, I opened the door to discover that we were not the only people in the house. A chill ran down my spine as I closed the door and scrambled through the closet in search of the old Lefever, which as was traditionally the case, buried somewhere deep behind piles of belongings.

We were lucky that night. What was evidently a burglary turned home evasion ended when a Collie-German Shepherd mix stood her ground, nose to the door, sounding as menacing as a dog twice her size, sending the intruders on their way – all while her master was thrashing around in a closet. If the intruders, standing a few feet away on the other side of a flimsy door, had decided to join us in the bedroom for whatever their intended purpose, they would have succeeded before I could have brought the shotgun to bear - and certainly long before the police could have arrived. It was our fight, it was our safety and perhaps our lives. It was also the day in my life, in the summer of 1979, that I gained strong interest in home security and the effective use of firearms for self-protection.

Over the last 3 decades, I have become educated on the essentials of home security – locks, lights and the everyday habits needed to remain safe in our home. These are common sense skills anyone can learn and employ, are non-intrusive and in retrospect, may have been sufficient in deterring the home invaders of 1979. At the same time I became interested in competitive shooting, responsible firearms ownership and the use of firearms for self-protection. Through decades of formal and informal study, training and practice, I have learned to effectively, safely and responsibly integrate firearms into our lives for both recreational and defensive purposes. We have advanced from not even knowing what the 2nd Amendment is to a full understanding of its meaning and appreciation of its history and purpose. What was completely lacking, unplanned and unknown on that summer night in 1979 is now a cohesive system of tools, habits, skills and understanding of law that has kept us safe ever since.

The 2nd Amendment is not about “sporting purposes. ” It is, as the Founding Fathers intended, an essential cornerstone of liberty that ensures our God-given right to defend ourselves from all threats, without dependence on or interference from government. Count us as citizens who appreciate that right, will fully defend it and based on first-hand experience, demand the most effective tools available to secure it.

----------------------------------------------------

Here is one of the many posts on a friend's FB page that I responded to;


Well not sure why you need a machine gun to defend yourself, that is what the debate is about. Seems like a dog saved you, do you think an army of 50 is going to invade you?

My response;


Kent, "machine guns" have been regulated since the National Firearms Act of 1934. Unfortunately, many Americans don't know what gun laws are already in place and soak up the mainstream media hyperbole no-questions-asked.

I will tell you that an AR-15 is by far the best tool available for home defense against violent attack. Unlike a shotgun, low recoil makes it easier to shoot accurately, especially for woman. When loaded with the correct ammo, will not over penetrate like a shotgun or even a handgun. The fact that it can accept magazines of varying capacity is immaterial.

The media is doing a great job of demonizing this popular firearm and casting it owners in unfavorable light. I have stood silent for 3 decades listening to the lies and rhetoric, and am now standing up in hopes that those not faimilar with firearms and firearms law will become better educated.

Thanks for commenting Kent and I hope my essay provides some new perspective.

As part of my "de-demonzing" I also post this link when appropriate to illustrate a common use of the AR;

http://www.riojuniors.com/perry02/perry02.htm

Lies stand when honest people do not stand up to refute them.

[austinN4]

As others have said, Good work, but I wish your response quoted above had gone on to clarify that an AR15 is not a machine gun.

[Canonshooter]

As others have said, Good work, but I wish your response quoted above had gone on to clarify that an AR15 is not a machine gun.

I did. This was my follow-up post (nop responses to ether yet);


Just as an FYI, a link to NFA 1934 is provided below;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act

Up until NFA was passed, a citizen could buy a full-auto ("assault rifle") firearm. While a citizen can still own a true assault rifle today, it is an extremely regulated process controlled by the BATF. It requires (among other things) fingerprints and full background check of owner, strict regulations of how and where the firearm may be used, how it must be stored and engraving of the owner's identity on the actual firearm. Today, there are about 240,000 "machine guns" in private hands, mostly by police departments. Since 1934, there has been two recordings of crimes committed with a "NFA weapon" - one by a police officer.

The AR-15 is NOT a machine gun but gun confiscation advocates intentionally play on public confusion/ignorance and call them as such with the intent to make legal firearms illegal. Here is a link to a site that does a good job of explaining the difference between a true "assault rifle" and the commonly used/fabricated "assault weapon" phrase;

http://www.assaultweapon.info/

Finally, a link that shows typical use of the AR-15 today in the U.S.;

http://www.riojuniors.com/perry02/perry02.htm

[JoshNC]

Good work. The "need a machinegun" argument is a common one. Quite frankly the 2A protects machineguns above anything else, as these are contemporary military arms. And this is America, it is not about "need" and we should not have to justify ownership of ANYTHING, be it guns, cars, homes, RVs, boats, aircraft or anything else.

[Jake'sDad]

Good job!

If every pro gunner recruited one other person, we wouldn't be dealing with any of this. It's sad how tiny of a percentage of us actually do anything.

[Jer]

...in the battle for the 2A.

For decades I have stood mostly silent on the 2A, only occasionally engaging in debate with the uninformed. I was content to remain "under the radar" while contributing to the NRA and other gun rights organizations, and participating on sites like this one.

With the latest assault on our constitutional rights, I could no longer remain unengaged. I am now using social media via my Facebook page in an attempt to educate the uninformed. Many old friends who I have not seen since high school are sharing my posts and I am engaging in debate on many pages with those who support gun control. Doing so in an objective, respectful manner is IMO our very best tactic at this point.

This forum has served as a great resource of information, and truth be told, the inspiration to get off my ass and "take it to them." Thanks to all and may victory be ours.

I've been doing the same for a while now. Don't be surprised when your # of friends slowly goes down but to me those are people who aren't my friends anyway.

[HES]

I've been doing the same for a while now. Don't be surprised when your # of friends slowly goes down but to me those are people who aren't my friends anyway.
I wish it would happen at a faster rate for me on Facebook. OTOH my twitter followers continues to climb.