Ideas on how to win anti's and others to our side.

[mikem317]

Simple formula: Get people who are "on the fence" on the range, with a .22LR gun in their hands. Teach them general firearm safety. Teach them how to operate the gun. Let them fire at a gallon of water or similar target.

They'll smile and want to do more.

Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

 

[Cassadilla]

A few ideas spring to mind:

Collecting for toys for tots
Visiting run down parts of our respective communities, helping to clean up trash
Working with a habitat for humanities home build, all wearing a t shirt promoting the group

i'm going to see if i can get a toys for tots drop off set up at the shop, i think that's a great idea. and it brings antis & others into an unfamiliar environment to donate their own toys.

 

[rep308]

I ask them what other individually enumerated constitutional rights they wish to restrict. The 1st? The 4th has gone to heck, how about restricting the 15th and if you are talking to a woman ask her about reasonable restrictions on the 19th.

It's a pro freedom thing, you can't pick and choose among the rights in the constitution

 

[kalash]

How about a Groupon for discounted safety courses? It would reach the most people that way, given Groupon's popularity.

I also completely agree on educating people. I've converted my gf and my roommate and currently working on converting my boss.

 

[K-DUB]

I met someone at Harvard last week, who appears & claims to be a politically active, pro2A guy. He asked me if I could answer some questions for a friend of his who is just getting into my industry. I said I'd be happy to help, & gave him my contact info to pass to his friend.

As we parted ways, he said "I have one favor to ask. Can you not tell him that we know each other from the shooting range; he's a big liberal." (My immediate range of emotions: )

Moral of the story:
Don't hide that you're a shooter from your circle of people.

Everyone who knows me even casually, knows that I'm a shooter. I'm constantly inviting people to come shoot with me, though most politely decline at first. I am not ashamed of it. I "wear" it with pride!

The key is for each of us to introduce our friends/Family/coworkers to the activities we are passionate about. Even if they don't want to join in at first, knowing that someone they know & trust (YOU!) is a shooter, will hopefully at least have some positive impact.

 

[ColdDayInHell]

I met someone at Harvard last week, who appears & claims to be a politically active, pro2A guy. He asked me if I could answer some questions for a friend of his who is just getting into my industry. I said I'd be happy to help, & gave him my contact info to pass to his friend.

As we parted ways, he said "I have one favor to ask. Can you not tell him that we know each other from the shooting range; he's a big liberal." (My immediate range of emotions: )

Moral of the story:
Don't hide that you're a shooter from your circle of people.

Everyone who knows me even casually, knows that I'm a shooter. I'm constantly inviting people to come shoot with me, though most politely decline at first. I am not ashamed of it. I "wear" it with pride!

The key is for each of us to introduce our friends/Family/coworkers to the activities we are passionate about. Even if they don't want to at first, knowing that someone they know & trust, YOU, are a shooter, will hopefully have some positive impact.

+1

 

[Duece]

Get the anti's to our side?

Heck, how do we get those who are supposed to be on our side, on our side

 

[Nation On Fire]

As someone who has spent a lot of their life having to convince people of unpopular things, I could (and probably should) write a book for gun owners on how to talk to people. This is where we are failing big time. At our very root, we are people who make decisions on facts, data, science and probability. We are trying to convince people who make decisions on feelings. We've been doing it all wrong IF you care about legislation. Think long and hard about how most people now view blacks, gays, bikers, rappers, metal heads, punks, tattooed people, pot smokers, the disabled, etc. It wasn't long ago that Ozzy was responsible for your kid's suicide. Now it's the gun. All of those groups have won social acceptance by showing they are real people. While we are becoming "gun nuts." Think about it. There's no point in beating trigonometry into a child's mind if they don't understand multiplication. Just as it doesn't make sense arguing defense against a tyrannical government with someone who doesn't know what semi auto is. Small steps is how you win public opinion, it always has been and is why we, as a group, have been written off.

 

[ToddDubya]

Learn to shoot rifle/revolver/semi/black powder/bow/shotgun event. Maybe someone wants to try his/her hand at archery but is afraid to drop the coin. While he/she is there he/she can be convinced to take a few shots with a 10/22 and learns that guns aren't so scary after all.

 

[spcantwell]

Learn to shoot rifle/revolver/semi/black powder/bow/shotgun event. Maybe someone wants to try his/her hand at archery but is afraid to drop the coin. While he/she is there he/she can be convinced to take a few shots with a 10/22 and learns that guns aren't so scary after all.

LOL, I just picked up two spear heads that we can add into the mix

 

[Zielstrebig]

Combined mindfulness meditation/range class. Trust me, it could work. Zen and the art of shooting at MFS...

 

[jefftk]

As someone who has spent a lot of their life having to convince people of unpopular things, I could (and probably should) write a book for gun owners on how to talk to people.

Just curious, can you elaborate on that?

 

[GlockJock]

Post them here.

Why not offer people a free class on safety and education. I'm sure people here can kick in $5 or $10 to reimburse instructors for this. It would also generate business for the people that would offer this via return customers.

The Anti's are SO BRAINWASHED by the media that they won't even CONSIDER doing anything that might alter their stance/beliefs/etc. Guns are bad. A kid who chews a pop tart into the shape of a gun gets suspended (later rescinded, but you get the point). A kid who wears a T-shirt supporting the NRA gets bounced from school.

You actually think the pinhead morons who pull this crap and spew their Anti propaganda are gonna want to go to a safety course where the subject matter is......GUNS? (OH MY GOD! A G-U-N !!??)... The same people who term the average American gun owner as a "gun enthusiast"?

I own 7 handguns and am not the slightest bit "enthused" by any of them, unless a hot babe wants me to show her how to use one at the range. Yet I'm considered an "enthusiast" by the Anti's.

You could offer them an extra 50 bucks on top of the free course and their answer would be "Guns are bad!!"...

But I admire your thought and suggestions. It's like spitting into a furnace with these people right now. Guns are bad, gun owners are bad, and rapists deserve a second chance. Cop killers too. Life is good. Crime is down. The stock market is up. Unemployment is "getting better". We're SO MUCH safer walking around towns and cities. The government statistics tell them this.

So it MUST be true.. The government never lies about this stuff....

And these same people are gonna "open their minds" and attend a safety course???

 

[Buckhunter156]

At the two hearings I went to I spent most of my time presenting the citizens petition put out by Western Mass 2nd Amendment Coalition (formerly Hampden county 2nd Amendment Coalition). I encounter two different types of antis. The ones that actually want to talk to you and who want to hear what you have to say. Then there are the ones that yell expletives as they are running by me like I have a clip board full of dog shit. In general neither are openly changing and believe that people who have fire arms are the root of all evil.

 

[wacky_doug]

Moral of the story:
Don't hide that you're a shooter from your circle of people.

+1. It's taken me a while to get to this point, especially in uber-liberal metro Boston.

Also, this is a "convert one person at a time" problem. That is the ONLY thing that has worked for me. I'm not talking about having a debate about statistics. I'm talking about patiently explaining the laws and taking people to the range.

 

[rep308]

I've never had anyone turn down an invite to shoot trap. Even hard core anti's look at clay targets with over/under shotguns as ok. They are amazed how hard it is to hit targets. The competitive environment pulls guys in, the events tends to neutralize women against guns. There was one youth athlete on my team who's family was uncomfortable with guns in the home and we let her use a team gun for the season. They eventually came around.

 

[lancecolonel]

what about putting up a GOAL and/or COMM2A sign on one of those adopt a site traffic islands? you can put up an advertisement if you take care of the landscaping, right?