Popehat Talks Productively About Guns
Ken White, writing at Popehat, explains the difficulty gun owners have talking to gun phobes. It’s something I’ve run into myself having gone from being irrationally afraid of guns to having several in my home, and having to explain to my gun phobic friends and family why.
He writes:
It’s hard to grasp the reaction of someone who understands gun terminology to someone who doesn’t. So imagine we’re going through one of our periodic moral panics over dogs and I’m trying to persuade you that there should be restrictions on, say, Rottweilers.Me: I don’t want to take away dog owners’ rights. But we need to do something about Rottweilers.
You: So what do you propose?
Me: I just think that there should be some sort of training or restrictions on owning an attack dog.
You: Wait. What’s an “attack dog?”
Me: You know what I mean. Like military dogs.
You: Huh? Rottweilers aren’t military dogs. In fact “military dogs” isn’t a thing. You mean like German Shepherds?
Me: Don’t be ridiculous. Nobody’s trying to take away your German Shepherds. But civilians shouldn’t own fighting dogs.
You: I have no idea what dogs you’re talking about now.
Me: You’re being both picky and obtuse. You know I mean hounds.
You: What the fuck.
Me: OK, maybe not actually ::air quotes:: hounds ::air quotes::. Maybe I have the terminology wrong. I’m not obsessed with vicious dogs like you. But we can identify kinds of dogs that civilians just don’t need to own.
You: Can we?
Guns and dogs are an excellent analogy. Both can be your best friend but disrespect them and they can become the stuff of nightmares. I know both, and the more I am around them the more I appreciate what they can do and what they cannot. I try to never make assumptions about either one of them since doing so leads to trouble. I have learned that both make my life richer in ways that I cannot explain to people who don’t own guns or dogs. You’ve got to do it to understand it.
Anyway, White’s piece is worth the full read. I’m going to take the dogs out for “last call” before bedtime.
Jack:
Scott, there’s a great chasm between gun owners and gun “phobes” that is completely ignored by you. There are plenty of gun owners that believe in strong regulations and don’t think organizations like the NRA represents them. There are also many people who don’t own guns but do not have a phobia about them. I don’t own a gun but I’ve shot several guns. The gun/dog analogy is not very good. My guess is there are far fewer people killed by dogs annually, probably no one has committed mass murder or suicide by dog.
10 December 2015, 1:51 pmScott Kirwin:
Jack
White’s article discusses the communication gulf between gun owners and gun phobes as exemplified by a discussion to ban “attack dogs” – a substitute for the call to reinstate the assault rifle ban that has come up after the terror attack in San Bernardino. The dog analogy works to explain to those who support the ban what those who oppose the ban hear, and thereby shows the difficulty the two sides have communicating.
I also like the article because it unintentionally touches upon the ban on certain dog breeds by various communities. I happen to own a pit bull and a rottweiler. The pit I found dumped on my property, a young mother her teats heavy with milk, torn from her litter and left to fend for herself in the middle of nowhere. My son found the rottweiler puppy, aged about six weeks, running around a Walmart parking lot. Both breeds are at the top of ban lists. Owning dogs, like owning guns, comes with a level of responsibility that may be too tough for some to bear. With rights come responsibilities and I take my responsibilities very seriously, treating both with the respect and expertise they deserve. Guns, like dogs, are not for everyone and while I don’t love my guns the way I love my dogs, I get concerned when people start talking about restrictions on them.
I understand that some gun owners support regulations and don’t think the NRA speaks for them. I happen to support legalized abortion, but that doesn’t mean I think an organization like NARAL represents me on the abortion issue. Both organizations put the brakes on legislation that goes too far from the center and therefore have their places. That won’t stop the NRA from being demonized by the Left and NARAL by the Right.
10 December 2015, 9:23 pm