How many friendships have you had to end

[flibbitygiblets]

Last edited Wed Feb 28, 2018, 11:52 AM - Edit history (1)

as a result of their "gun fever"?

I've had to cut ties with dozens of people.
Some of them were mere acquaintances, so no big loss.

Last night I said goodbye and good luck to a close friend of 20 years. He'd marched with me against the Iraq war. A highly intelligent man, who seems to have traveled a path from libertarianism to full on gun nuttery. I should also mention that along with the ramped up gun advocacy, I observed increasing signs of racism, fascism and religious intolerance. It breaks my heart, this is not the person I once knew.

I am not silent when I disengage these folks. I tell them exactly why I can no longer be their friend. I think its important to stand up to them so they know there are consequences to their stubborn insistence that more guns are the only possible answer. Usually they are angry and spiteful, and oddly, seem to feel misunderstood.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like this is a national madness that is spreading? How did it infect these seemingly reasonable people? Will it infect me or my family?

And one other thing. Its been insinuated here that I've insulated myself from people with differing opinions. That's completely untrue, and I apologize for not being clearer in my original post. I was, and am still pretty heartbroken, as well as concerned, sorry I wasn't more articulate. Respectful, thoughtful discussion of these difficult subjects is the only way to resolve them.

[DUgosh]

1. Bff from high school since 1975

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

2. What's the definition of gun fever?

Have not run across it most of my friends are hunters so?

[Decoy of Fenris]

3. Sounds like you prefer to live in a self-imposed bubble, honestly.

Contrary to most beliefs here in DU, the average "lunatic gun nut" is just a person with a hobby. They're not particularly obsessive or compulsive, they don't sleep with their guns at night nor do they fondle them to get their jollies. They're just folks with an appreciation for firearms, either from a hobbyist perspective or with an eye for collecting. They're no more suffering from a "madness" than you are, although to be blunt you may be closer to it than they.

Consider it from their perspective. They're going about their day, as they always have, doing the same things and enjoying the same hobbies, when out of the blue you rip up a friendship and then berate them. Of course they'd be left bewildered, and yes, perhaps angry or spiteful. You come with no warning nor preamble, bash something they enjoy, then say "I'm done". It comes off as petulantly childish and would leave anyone confused at the very least (presuming you're a functioning adult), if not actively concerned for your well-being.

When everyone around you suddenly appears insane, in all actuality, it's probably not them. That may sound a bit harsh, but you asked.

[flamin lib]

5. Not what OP said at all. I think you only understood .223% of it.

Kinda like the people being talked about as lunatic gun nuts.

[Decoy of Fenris]

8. He's cut ties with "dozens" of people, including close friends.

Let that sink in. He's cut at least twelve, definitely twenty four, possibly 36 or more people out of his life because of what he perceives as "nuttery". He's withdrawing himself from society and his social network over a viewpoint he disagrees with, vocally and in a confrontational manner, so that he can surround himself with nothing but that which agrees with him. How is that -not- living in a bubble?

Put aside the gun demagoguery for a sec FL. Taking the guns out of the equation. Does that sound like a psychologically healthy state?

[flibbitygiblets]

12. I think you took a few liberties there

I didn't "withdraw from society". I have way more than 30 friends, and never said I'm living in a closet and shunning society. You made that up.

[Decoy of Fenris]

15. Just going by what you said, mate.

You yourself said you've had to "cut ties with dozens of people." One dozen is twelve, two dozen is twenty four, so plural of dozens means you've cut ties with at least twenty four people. Given that a human's Dunbar Layer of social interaction is limited to around 140 people on the high end, and that only 4.1 of them are considered "close" friends, you've said that you have eliminated 25% of your close friends and approximately 20% of your more casual friends from your life over a -difference of opinion-. Each one of those culled from your social sphere has not been at their urging, but yours.

All things considered, you have a better rate of silencing dissenting opinions than the Russians did during the Stalinist Great Purges.

[flibbitygiblets]

35. Your awesome math notwithstanding

I severed ties with about 25 people, one of whom was very very close, thanks for your concern.

I think its more interesting that you are willing to go to great lengths to disprove another's legitimacy than look at your own biases. And your unwillingness to admit you made inaccurate speculative judgments doesn't bode well for your claim to be a sane and responsible gun owner either.

[Decoy of Fenris]

38. Who's trying to disprove your legitimacy? I'm taking you at 100% face value.

And what speculative judgments are you referring to? I never said you lived in a closet nor did I say you -had- withdrawn from society (only that you were in the process of doing so), the only two things you referenced in regards to my prior posting.

Look mate, I'm trying to be at least mildly civil here. I'd appreciate the same. I'm not taking shots at you, I'm not trying to disprove anything of your story, I both know and accept my biases, and I can -only- operate with the information you give me, and that's all I did. If you say "I eliminated dozens of my friends from my life", who am I to say otherwise? The only "Speculative judgments" I made were those you yourself gave me.

[flibbitygiblets]

41. You do know that we can read the shit you said about me above, right?

That's you trying to be civil? Yikes.

[Decoy of Fenris]

42. "Mildly" civil. That's a step above "indifferent" and significantly above "actively hostile."

Welcome to Democratic Underground, where depending on your views, you may in fact have death wished upon you and your family for owning a gun. So yes. "Mildly civil."

[flibbitygiblets]

46. Lol.

First laugh I've had all day. Thanks.

And I'm truly sorry you've received death threats, that's entirely repugnant.

Still, maybe try not to lump us all together okay?

[flamin lib]

25. You can't take the gun demagoguery out of it. The OP is separating him/herself from

gun demagogues. I also perceive a lot of what I see, particularly in this group, as nuttery. I have also parted company with people over gun nuttery as well as other forms of socially unacceptable beliefs and behaviors. I no longer think it healthy to allow "equal time" to people who are so far from the mainstream as to dangerous to society.

It is time to change the gun culture of this country. Just as smoking, racial bigotry and misogyny have become a pariah so too must 2nd amendment fanatics be shunned.

[DBoon]

29. But smokers do not spend all their waking moments telling you about the wonders of tobacco

Smoking is a personal vice, gun nuttery affects a person's entire world view, similar to joining a religious cult

[flibbitygiblets]

37. There is a similarity in that secondhand smoke

was responsible for many deaths, yet it took social pressure to get smokers from killing innocent bystanders. Now its time to do the same with guns.

[tortoise1956]

65. actually, no...

Secondhand smoke is not the great killer that it was reputed to be in the past. See the following article from Slate:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2017/02/secondhand_smoke_isn_t_as_bad_as_we_thought.html

With that in mind, would you at least consider that perhaps guns are not the root of all evil? That in fact, schools are safer now than they were in the past? And that active shooters in schools are responsible for a vanishingly small percentage of school-related deaths? (See following link):

http://safehavensinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Relative_Risks_of_Death_in_US_K-12_Schools.pdf

Finally, contrary to popular opinion, semi-automatic AR-15 model rifles are popular varmint rifles. they are especially good for using on feral pigs and coyotes. For deer, not so much - the .223 cartridge is not very powerful, contrary to the media hype.

Full disclosure:

It's been 35 years since I hunted a living critter, all I do nowadays is shoot holes in paper and break clay pigeons. I mainly collect old weapons, shotguns and .22 rifle in the main. Most of my rifles are either bolt- or lever-action, because that's what I learned to shoot with and that's what I feel most comfortable with. I guess by some standards, I own an arsenal, especially since I have at least 5K rounds of ammunition in my .22 rifle cabinet. (All .22 caliber rounds, 7 or 8 different types, which I use for accuracy testing my old rifles once I have disassembled, cleaned and reassembled them)

I own 2 AR-15 platform weapons, 1 in .223 Wylde and 1 in 6.5 Grendel. The main reason I bought them was to learn about them, and to see what they were like. Frankly, I don't care for them that much. The gas-impingement system means that they run dirty and are a pain in the ass to keep clean, which to someone like me who was taught to clean his weapon after every use is just plain wrong. However, whether I like them or not, they are simply a tool, and one which is very useful in pest control in rural areas.

Last point - it's your life, and you are the one who determines who you associate with. Don't let anyone try to tell you differently. However, you might want to consider that if you ban anyone who is even remotely tied to guns from your presence, you've created an echo chamber...

[guillaumeb]

54. "Gun nuttery affects...."

An interesting observation.

Many gun owners do seem to feel as if only a gun can protect them from all of the dangers out there.

[tortoise1956]

67. I don't think that's the only answer...

but at my current age (61), I no longer have the physical ability to defend myself if someone were to try to assault me. I have had someone come up to my car and threaten to harm me for what they perceived as a personal insult, which was pretty damn unsettling. (BTW, it was another driver who actually was the perpetrator - I had nothing to do with it) Because of that incident, I applied for and received a CCW permit so that I could legally have a weapon in my car when a) I know I'm going to be spending time in certain high-risk areas in my home town (Las Vegas), or b) be driving long-distance in the high desert.

Do I think my life is always in danger? No, of course not. I also know that the chances of this happening again are low. But I will NEVER again allow myself to be once again placed in a position where I am threatened by someone bigger and younger than me, without the means to protect myself.

If that is gun nuttery, then so be it.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Not knowing what "gun fever" is, I'd still say "none." I treasure those with whom I can dig into

subjects in which we agree on goals but disagree on tactics, because that's where you find true common ground.

[hack89]

6. My shooting friends are mature educated professions. So "none" would be my answer. nt

[melm00se]

7. Not all my friends

are in complete and total lockstep with me (nor i with them).

We each have mutual interests but we also have interests that, frankly, bore the pants off our friends.

I celebrate both our similarities and differences and, personally, unwilling to give up a friendship over something as trivial as political differences (ditto for family).

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

9. If I cut ties with my trump supporter friends and family

Might as well live on mount Everest I would be about as alone.

[flibbitygiblets]

13. I'm really sorry to hear that

Glad you have DU 😊

[flibbitygiblets]

10. I'll try again.

To that last person's point, I don't see this as a political issue. I see it as life or death. And to be clear, I live in the country and own a gun. Never use it, but police are at last an hour away, so it's there, locked up.

It seems to me more and more likely that any one who can't stop talking about how we need MORE guns, in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting, might have a problem. These people don't want to talk about common sense approaches, just want to arm teachers, arm everyone, more guns now please. Any suggestion of stricter regulation is interpreted as "coming to get your guns this very second". They're also prone to bullying, (some of which seems to be happening here as well unfortunately). I choose to label this phenomenon as gun fever, sorry if that offends you.

However, my decision to cut ties with them is based on the militancy of their stance, the bullying that wasn't there before, and an unwillingness to consider any sort of compromise.

I have many friends, some of whom are teachers. My daughter wants to be a teacher. I don't want to be friends with these people Any more.

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

14. So gun fever equals no compromise?

I relish discussing guns with my friends as I am the only one who owns guns who believes in tighter laws. Also when I say "you should not be able to own "insert weapon" their heads explode.

But in the end we agree to disagree.

[Paladin]

16. Excellent explanation.

Don't waste any more of your time, trying to make things clear to those who won't ever register any understanding or respect of your decisions.

[flibbitygiblets]

19. Thanks for that. I feel like I stumbled into a bees nest

Apparently I misunderstood the purpose of this forum?

[Paladin]

20. There's plenty of misunderstanding at this locale. You're not part of it. (nt)

[Decoy of Fenris]

22. Nope, you're right on target, mate.

"Discuss gun politics, gun control laws, the Second Amendment, the use of firearms for self-defense, and the use of firearms to commit crime and violence."

I'd say what you brought up would be "Gun politics" in the loosest sense, insomuch that it's politics at an extremely local level.

[Decoy of Fenris]

17. Have you considered agreeing to disagree with them?

They won't budge, you won't budge, you shake hands and move on? It's a pretty simple thing, as they aren't policymakers and neither are you, so it's not like your butting heads would amount to anything anyways. You may as well save yourself the headache.

[flibbitygiblets]

24. Of course. But I don't tolerate bullying

from my friends. Unlike a lot of people I know, who do. Some people, like my husband, quietly avoids the argument. I don't like it either, it's never-ending, and it seems like your side is meaner, not to mention armed. Show up at my house (or church, or the movies) with weapons, just because it's Tuesday, then we have nothing to discuss. Like I said, to me this is life or death, not politics. Politics is when we disagree on healthcare or taxes.

And I came here to see if anyone else felt the same way. Seems like there were a few, who got drowned out by people who wanted to tell me how wrong (possibly crazy) I am for saying enough is enough.

[Decoy of Fenris]

31. It's not that we're "meaner", Flibbity, we're just tired of having to fight on two fronts.

You think the RKBA side is all gung-ho for slaughtering schoolkids? Hell no, we want it to end just as much as anyone else, if not moreso. The problem we're faced with is the staggeringly ignorant and quite frankly offensive "Gun Control" side mucking everything up every damned time. We've been on the frontlines before and after every school shooting and all in between them, trying to get no-nonsense, no-frills but damned effective legislation passed, and every time we think we're making progress, the Gun Control fringe steps in and starts screaming "BAN TEH GUNZ! ALL OF DEM! BAN BAN BAN!" Boom. Instant political stonewall, from our own goddamned side, people who are supposed to be working with us. "Gun Control" has sold more firearms than the NRA could ever dream of, mostly due to their own blatant incompetence and willful ignorance.

It's asinine, and to be honest, some of us are just tired. We've been fighting for so long, trying to get actual laws and regulations passed. The Control side thinks they're the only ones who've lost people to gun violence, that they have some moral high ground; they think us RKBA folks haven't felt loss. We've had our own casualties, watched our friends blow their brains out, losing our own to gun violence, had our schools locked down in firearm drills, watched our loved ones die because they couldn't protect themselves. We've got our scars, too. We're fighting the right wing and the batshit lunatic fringe of the left wing at the same time, and we're -tired-.

So yeah, some of us may get a bit snippy. Some of us have been fighting a decades-long war against what you're just now saying "enough is enough" over. I've been fighting this battle for twenty years now. Sorry for that.

[Paladin]

36. Ever receive death threats from "the batshit lunatic fringe of the left wing"?

No, I didn't think so. Thanks ever so much for your decades of self-sacrifice.

[Decoy of Fenris]

39. Of course. Right here on DU, from the Gun Control side.

Hell, there was a post just today wishing death to all gun owners and their families. Even D.U. has its sane moments though, so it was rightfully hidden.

Come to think of it, I can think of quite a few times when the Gun Control side wished pain, injury and death to gun owners, now that you bring it up. If I remember correctly, it was very specifically D.U. gun owners.

You may want to remove that sarcasm tag, mate. I've gotten more death threats from the dipshit left than the right wing. You're damn right to be thanking me, whether you think you're being sarcastic or not.

[sarisataka]

49. Are some posters on DU

Included in the term "the batshit lunatic fringe of the left wing"

I have seen several people suggest gun owners be killed, one suggest that they all get branded on the forehead.

One poster said that, as a gun owner, I am a terrorist and I have the option to do the right thing or have the SWAT team kick my door in and suffer the consequences.

I believe that is a death threat.

[Straw Man]

63. I believe the phrase that got one such poster banned was ...

... "I toast a cap in your ass."

But I'm 99% sure he/she is back under a different screen name.

[flibbitygiblets]

44. Well here's a thought

I've spoken with hundreds of people who are NOT interested in 'banning all teh gunz'. The total ban crowd is not only the minority, they're unrealistic. Most Americans want reasonable gun control. So please try to resist the urge to lump us all together.

Being (a bit testy, as you put it) isn't helpful. Lambasting people who've got the same goals as you isn't helpful. It seems the darker forces in politics want us to fight, otherwise we might accomplish something. Hell, I didn't know people like you existed until this very minute. I certainly haven't heard any of what you're saying from my friends., AND I have to say, I'm encouraged.

Maybe next time, let's try both leading the conversation with "I am for sensible gun control, not a complete ban"? It sure would be Great to have a different conversation, and actually get somewhere.

[krispos42]

75. The people that want to arm teachers have a terrible idea

Mainly because the odds of an armed teacher being in a position to stop a random spree shooter are extremely remote. Teachers going into a lockdown aren't going to abandon their class and go roving around the school looking for an armed insurgent. Once a lockdown happens, then unless the shooter bursts into the classroom of the insurgent, it's not going to do a damn thing.

However, the odds of there being regular incidents of accidental discharges, missing/stolen guns, or interpersonal relationships going to a violent end are much, much higher.

A school that was in some kind of conflict zone, then you can argue that armed teachers (as a supplement to armed guards, hopefully) was a necessary counter to roving bands of kidnappers, rapists, and thieves.

Since none of our 135,000 schools are in a conflict zone, then the odds of regular accidents and thefts far outweighs the benefits of armed security.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. None, and what is this "gun fever"? To quote the sage, ...

[flibbitygiblets]

30. Tell the parents of the children who got killed to lighten up

[sarisataka]

18. No

My friends and I are not intolerant and closed minded

But this gun fever sounds serious. How contagious is it and how will I know if I have it?

[flibbitygiblets]

21. You'll stop caring how many people die

And start bullying and trolling people with whom you disagree. Ask your doctor if #neveragain is right for you.

[sarisataka]

23. I never stop caring how many people die

But I also am not an absolutist and will listen to others' ideas

Then again I personally don't know anyone who thinks arming teachers is a good idea. Maybe I just have better gun owning friends than most.

[flibbitygiblets]

27. Well then it sounds like you are very lucky

Thanks for the rational discourse.

[SQUEE]

69. Never again has a very different meaning to me.

[MFM008]

26. Had to end 3

Because of Red Don support.

[kimbutgar]

28. When I was single I stopped dating a guy because he loved taking his gun everywhere

The last straw was taking the gun on the beach at Santa Cruz. That was it for me.

[tortoise1956]

66. Sounds like you made a sensible decision...

There's enough weird shit on the beach already. I have to ask - he didn't stick it in his swimsuit, did he?

[kimbutgar]

70. No in the cooler

But everywhere else he kept it in his shoulder hostler.

[redstatebluegirl]

32. At least 5, 2 were good friends from high school.

Both of my friends from school, stayed in our small hometown and worked out of the labor hall. They got into crazy right wing politics, hated immigrants and minorities, loved their guns and joined far right wing churches in our area. Made me really sad. One friend who I worked with years ago, was a big dirt track racing guy, has a child who is disabled, he is on disability and LOVES Trump because his highly religious wife does. Makes me nuts.

[Always Right]

33. Who initiated those gun control discussions, them or you?

I have gun knowledge so after the shooting, multiple people I know initiated conversations with me about why we need to start banning thing. I initiated the conversation with nobody.

When I countered their emotions with facts they got upset and dropped it, however I've broken off friendships with none of them, though I can't say if they dropped me.

Also, I'm not against reasonable or common sense gun control, however I define reasonable and common sense as something that would actually make a difference and so far I've not seen any law changes that are not easily defeated or would make a difference.

[flibbitygiblets]

40. Glad you asked! They initiated.

Many on the same week as the Fla. shootings. In different ways. Pictures of assault weapons on Facebook, waxing poetic about the good old days when people only drove to school with guns (no explaining as to why), but refrained from murdering others. Then there's the whole " lets force children to pray in school, that'll fix it" crowd that followed. And of course, the inevitable "let's arm teachers" meme.

No one approached me and said "lets work together and enact sensible laws". The first I've heard anyone say that was today, here actually. So, long before I "vaporized" my friendships as someone put it, I responded with "how about we start with automatic weapons bans, background checks, and licenses?" After the barrage of attacks similar to what can be found in this thread, I cut ties. And no, I didn't do it like a coward. I told them why. I stand by my decision, and so do my remaining friends.

[Always Right]

43. Since we are having a civilized conversation, what do you propose specifically?

Actually 2 of your 3 proposals are already the law. Well the third is as well in some places.

Automatic Weapons were highly regulated in the National Firearms Act of 1934 and banned from production in the Gun Owner's Protection act of 1986.

All states presently require background checks before any firearm can be purchased from a gun dealer. The real issue is that the databases being checked often lack information which, if entered, would prohibit the sale. The Texas church shooting is one such example. There he had been dishonorably discharged from the military for domestic violence but the military never reported that to the agency who does background checks so he passed.

Some states already have gun licenses, such as Illinois and New York, though how would you propose how licensing the owners would prevent any gun crime or criminals from obtaining guns? What is your response to The Journal News, a newspaper in New York that published the names of all those who had New York gun licenses, effectively giving criminals a shopping list of where to go steal guns?

What else do you propose we do?

[flibbitygiblets]

45. Sounds like you have some answers right in your post

Have you done anything to help close any of the loopholes you mentioned? Seems to me there's a lot of work to be done. But you seem to be throwing your hands in the air.

Also...do you really want ideas from a non gun enthusiast? Because my ideas would involve passing psych exams, many personal references, required safety courses, background checks ...like most employers do these days. I also think the rules should be different for licensed hunters, as well as one's locale (urban vs. rural). And anyone owning assault rifles should be heavily regulated. And there should be severe fines for non- reporting crimes that would keep unsuitable folks from getting guns. Oh, and how about national healthcare, at least for the mentally ill?

PS, that bit about a newspaper publishing names is awful. Sounds like it should be illegal.

[Always Right]

47. All ideas are welcome

I support your idea for national healthcare for the mentally ill in theory though I'd like to see some specifics of what you envision. Are we talking free room, board and treatment at national sanitariums?

What you called a loophole, I'd call a system failure as the situations I described were not excluded from the law or a work around, rather, it was a government employee failing to do their job.

It may seem like I've thrown up my hands but I don't know how you can get the police or military to do their job by passing new laws as the military is already required by law to report dishonorable discharges. Who pays the severe fine or gets thrown in jail for that? What about when police fail to go in to protect kids? Throw the deputies in jail for failing to act? Do that and see who still wants to be a deputy.

Non-gun enthusiasts are welcome to contribute to the conversation provided that they are open to facts and not blinded by emotions. For example, you said that the rules should be different for one's local. What happens when someone moves from a rural location to an urban location? Do they then have to re-qualify to keep their legally possessed property?

I see psych exams as a back door gun ban because all it will take is one doctor to get sued after he passes someone who then commits a gun crime. Then no more doctors are going to sign off on anyone unless they are rich and/or politically connected. That is essentially what happened with the National Firearms Act where the local chief law enforcement officer was required to sign the form stating they know of no local laws that would be violated. That was put in place because there were no computer databases of laws back then. Didn't take long til the cops just refused to sign then nobody but the connected got their forms signed.

Also, who decides what the psych criteria is to own a gun as plenty on this board think anyone who wants to own a gun is crazy.

How does a safety course prevent school shootings?

How does a personal reference help? Presumably the references will be given by the gun purchaser and I can't see how they would provide names of people who would say bad things. Just like on a resume, nobody lists references they know will say bad things.

As for "assault weapons", that is the buzz word of the day to attempt to demonize some particular subset of guns. However it is being misapplied to semi auto look a like guns that resemble full auto military assault weapons.

These so called assault weapons you feel should be subject to heavy regulation are only cosmetically different than other semi auto guns. That is why when there was an assault weapon ban (AWB) from 1994 to 2004, it was totally ineffective. That Because the ban attempted to differentiate between the banned guns and non-banned guns so being cosmetically different, it listed the "bad" cosmetic features. It didn't take long for the bad cosmetic features to be removed and so the guns were unbanned.

For example, the AWB prohibited bayonet lugs (a metal notch to attach a bayonet), threaded muzzles, flash hiders, telescoping stocks, so the guns had their bayonet lugs removed, the muzzles were left unthreaded, flash hiders were replaced with muzzle brakes and the telescoping stocks were made to no longer telescope and left in the fixed position. Essentially the gun was exactly the same and used the same ammo. The AWB did nothing.

Last comment on the AR-15. It uses the .223 Remington or the Nato 5.56 mm cartridge, which are about the lowest power rifle cartridges presently in production. In fact, I can only think of two or three less powerful cartridges while there are over 100 more powerful ones so every time I see an AR-15 called High Powered it is a lie. In fact, it is why the AR-15 was never really used for hunting as it is so much less powerful than traditional hunting guns. Note: There are some companies making a new type of ammo called 300 blackout that can be used in an AR-15 but that requires changing out some essential parts of the gun and the gun is in fact becoming popular for hunting animals no larger than hogs.

I would hope that any new regulations you put in place would equally be applied to the police and military as well since we they would also have access to guns.

Anyway, we are in agreement on healthcare for the mentally ill and that the present system failed us and that prohibited people need to be flagged, what we differ on is that I don't think additional obstacles need to be put in place to ownership that are not somehow directly designed to block criminal and crazies from getting weapons.

[flibbitygiblets]

48. Oh and prohibit the NRA from funding politicians

Can gun advocates please work to control the NRA, pretty please? You might not believe this, but they won't listen to me. Doesn't sound like they listen to those of you who want gun reforms either. Anything we can do about this?

[oneshooter]

50. If you "prohibit the NRA from funding politicians"

Then you prohibit ALL organizations from funding politicians".

[flibbitygiblets]

55. I'm cool with that

But they deserve a special mention

[Straw Man]

64. Ah, yes.

What is your response to The Journal News, a newspaper in New York that published the names of all those who had New York gun licenses, effectively giving criminals a shopping list of where to go steal guns?

I remember that. They database contains not just names, but also addresses. Not only was it a shopping list for criminals, but it gave domestic abusers a way to find the ex-spouses who were hiding from them.

Another outcome was thorough embarrassment for "tough-on-guns" New York State, for the appalling lack of housekeeping in their permit records: one of those listed was "Roosevelt, Eleanor."

[friendly_iconoclast]

71. IIRC, the Journal News had some of the dish they were serving fed back to them...

...in the form of having the names and addresses of their employees posted on social media.
They didn't care for that one bit...

That may be why no one, to my knowledge, has attempted such a stunt again.

[Alea]

34. None

I don't vaporize friendships based on gun ownership, or political views, unless they are very extreme. If I did have a gun owning friend that often stated he or she can't wait to use their gun to kill a thug then I would distance myself from that person, but that also falls into that "very extreme" category I stated above. So far I haven't known anyone that have such extreme views that I need to unfriend them.

[BlueTsunami2018]

51. None.

No one I know is so fervent in their zeal for guns that it interferes with our friendship. I generally don’t let politics disturb my familial or friendship ties. I have spirited debate with a lot of people but nothing to end relationships over.

[LenaBaby61]

52. ZERO .....

[Kajun Gal]

53. None for gun fever. Several for "other" reasons...

[SharonClark]

56. Zero. None of my friends or family are gun nuts.

[chumpchange]

57. Sounds like

Pretty shallow attachments you must have had with these people (at least I hope that was the case, I would hate to consider what the alternative implied). I think this sort of behavior is contributing to the problem with our country/political system, namely both sides moving ever further apart and retreating into their own echo chambers. Nobody will compromise, both sides enforce ideological discipline, and the rancor gets uglier and uglier with every passing year. Technology has enabled this "big sort" behavior like never before. I don't care for where this is going and I don't see it stopping/getting better.

[flibbitygiblets]

58. Yeah pretty shallow, dumping a gun nut

with no sense of sensitivity over a bunch of dumb kids who have the nerve to ask not to be murdered. I'll let him know you think our 20 year friendship was shallow, I'm sure he'll give as many shits about your opinion as I do. . Thanks for jumping to conclusions instead of reading what I actually wrote.

[chumpchange]

59. I read what you wrote

And responded accordingly. Like I said, I hope your attachment to the people your ran away from was shallow, because if it was deep it says even more disturbing things about you.

With my family and friends, I have begun to insist on the old dictum of "politics and religion are never to be discussed in polite company."

[MaryMagdaline]

60. I routinely block people out of my life who travel with guns or post pictures of themselves

With guns. Their values are different from mine. A good percentage of my friends have guns, maybe because I've lived in the South most of my life. If they are talking about their guns, I pretty much walk away because they either bore me or scare me. BTW, my husband owned guns. Never shot them; never talked about them; he bought a Tec22? Pre-ban for investment purposes but now I am looking to find a buy back program to destroy the guns.

I believe most weapons should be banned, including the ones I inherited.

I like the Oregon laws that were just passed.

[The Mouth]

61. Personally, I would never alter a friendship on the basis of politics

Period. Regardless of what someone believes, who or what they support or who they voted for.
Never.

Physical or economic actions, yes, beliefs, no.

I have friends both Muslim and Christian who believe that not only am I going to hell for eternity but my beloved mother already has; nothing is more offensive than that, and I don't give a shit.

But everyone has a right to live their own life and decide *their* criteria for friendship. So not criticizing, but an honest answer- zero.


A friend is someone who will help you move. A TRUE friend is someone who will help you move ... a body.

[Straw Man]

62. That sounds about right to me.

Last edited Thu Mar 1, 2018, 12:59 AM - Edit history (1)

I'm a gun owner. I don't hunt, but I shoot competitively with pistol (gallery bullseye), rifle (smallbore), and shotgun (trap and sporting clays). I also have a modest collection of Eastern Bloc military surplus handguns. I feel strongly about gun rights. Living in a state like NY will do that to you: the SAFE Act nearly cost me several highly collectible Czech pistols until they relented on the absurd 7-round magazine limit. But I digress.

I know several people who are passionately anti-gun. I wouldn't dream of ending my relationship with them over this issue. I just avoid it in conversation. My own girlfriend favors an AWB -- need I say that I don't? -- but it's not an issue for us. I respect her opinion and she respects mine.

Skip the moral panic, people. People of good conscience can differ on this.

[Puha Ekapi_2]

68. Why would...

....I want to do that? My friends are my friends, in part because I know them to be good people. My friends are pretty diverse, and our views cover a pretty wide spectrum, but that's a good thing IMO.

[ileus]

72. None...that would be silly.

[gejohnston]

73. zero,

I refuse to let others do my thinking for me. If those on the extremes (left and right) cut me off, their loss not mine.

[ileus]

74. None

[sweetloukillbot]

76. Just one...

And it was more his sudden switch from hippy to racist/homophobic Ron Paul fan. The guns were actually secondary at the time.

[Snackshack]

77. None.

As a rule of thumb people are entitled to their beliefs/opinions on any given subject be it firearms, politics, religion etc. being a friend with a person includes having a measure of respect for them and who they are. The only thing that would cause me to end a friendship with someone I have let into my life and taken the time to form a friendship with would be some sort of personal attack/betrayal. Good/true friends are hard to come by discarding them because of a difference in beliefs says that maybe they were never really friends to begin with.

“One true friend is worth ten thousand relatives.”
- Euripides

Having said all that...people do change, sometimes for the worse. I guess I have just been lucky in the few friends I have. In the situation you describe in your post above (racism, intolerance etc) I would most likely have cut ties as well and it would have weighed heavy on my heart but it would be for the best.

[MichMary]

78. I was out with a friend this week

who is from a gun-owning family. Seems to me she told me some years ago that she had gotten or was in the process of getting a concealed carry permit. To tell you the truth, I never think about it one way or the other. My kids were friends with her kids, and I never worried about them playing at their house, because I know that they are responsible gun owners.

Well, what with current events and all, somehow we got to discussing guns. She said something about knowing how I feel. And I told her that I respect her legal right to own guns.

Maybe we could all use a little more respect for others, hmmmm??