We’ve seen the all-too-common portrayals of the stereotypical “gun person” on the big screen. Whether it’s the Rambo-Die Hard-Dirty Harry good guy, or the Terminator-Scarface-Corleone killer, the persona of gun people on-screen is pure fantasy. Existing in direct conflict with real gun people, Hollywood gunnies (good or evil intent aside) are all drenched in vendetta, vigilance and thirst for blood. All you have to do is visit your local shooting range to see that reality is far different than the stereotype; that most gun people are regular, honest folks with a great respect for the law, liberty, and peace…
Real gunnies come in all shapes and sizes, from working professionals to little old ladies; from ranchers to bankers. Sure, you get the occasional guy that stokes himself out in the latest Blackhawk tactical pants and shirt to make his weekly trip to the grocery store, but far more commonly you will not even notice the local heat packer. You see, we are not all a bunch of wild-west cowboys…
… most of us are regular, everyday folks…
We are not all warrior commandos, though many of us keep and bear the arms of a warrior…
Some of us are not capable of trekking the mountains of Afghanistan, though our own challenges give us the strength and desire to protect our lives and our most valued liberties.
You see, despite the picture our media paints of us, we remain a humble bunch. We understand that the numbers do not lie. We know that the bloodthirsty maniacs make up less than 1% of all gun owners in America, and that for every gun that is used to commit a murder, 156 guns are presented to prevent one, and 21,875 guns are not used at all. We know that there are more guns than automobiles in America, yet the fatality rate from the misuse of guns is less than 1/3 that of the misuse of cars. We also know that despite the small number of tragedies we suffer at the expense of this freedom, these tragedies are dwarfed by the vast and heinous catastrophes repeated throughout history with the blood of the helpless and the disarmed. These facts are the thorns in gun-control advocates’ sides, who happen to prefer to use their elitist, self-righteous zeal, and their powers in the media to portray us all as bloodthirsty maniacs.
Despite the constant barrage of attacks law-abiding gun owners have had to endure, we remain strong and united behind the common good of one of our most cherished rights. We must continue to show our friends and neighbors that “normal” people can be “gun people” too. And, we must remind would-be criminals to never pass judgement on the humble appearance of potential prey… because in today’s America, any person might be a “gun person”.
Regards,
The Brasstard
In addition to the well-formulated arguments of the article, the “gun people” of this country represent another and very important aspect of our times – past, present, and future. The “gun people” are the best insurance against oppressive regimes! The statistics change dramatically in favor of gun rights when we take into account the millions ordinary lives lost in the gas chambers of Nazi Germany and the gulags of Communist Siberia.
Well said KPB. Even in our own backyard we have a prime example of a real-world gun control failure… Mexico. With what is virtually a total ban on private gun ownership, only the government and the crime lords have arms. And in most cases, you cannot tell the difference between the two. Mexico’s total gun control is a total blood bath.