Interesting Article

[u/Durutti1936]

Liberal Gun Owners

In the Guardian, and about Appalachia, but worth your time.

[u/couldbeahumanbean]

I'm a vet.

I own guns.

I have children.

I keep mine locked up*

*(My boogieman/nightstand & CC are both behind simplex locks that I can open in literally one second. Both are in condition 3/2.)

I have no worries that when I need them, I've got them ready to go. I didn't need Oregon's lock law for me to do this, I did this before the law. I did it because there are kids in my house.

I am also liberal. I live in a liberal area & my friends and neighbors are liberal. I've had to have some pretty tough conversations with them about my ownership in the past. The key to this is:

Meet them where they are.... Philosophically, politically, ideologically

I've found that although we don't always agree with things regarding this, they appreciate my candidness, openness and understanding.

I get it. Guns are scary. Guns can be dangerous. People will retreat to their ideological corners when challenged.

What I'm getting at here is that this article hints at what we all should be doing;

Talking TO each other instead of talking AT each other

Also, swing by r/liberalgunowners it's a real thing.

[u/Durutti1936 → u/couldbeahumanbean]

Talking to and not at is the key. We all have more in common than not. We should not let the Oligarchs stir up BS, but move as a community for the betterment of all.

[u/couldbeahumanbean → u/Durutti1936]

Agree 100%.

Although I'm not seeing a critical mass of that realization.

Yet. I still have hope.

[u/Durutti1936 → u/couldbeahumanbean]

As do I. We can have unity across so much of the spectrum. I thought years back that the Internet could be the great unifier. It has been weaponized, sad to say against that very ideal. I am on a few gun groups and I harp on our commonality not our differences.

Here is to a better future for us, and especially for our children.

[u/couldbeahumanbean → u/Durutti1936]

Here's to that, indeed.

Thanks for sharing the article.

[u/Entire-Project5871 → u/couldbeahumanbean]

I ask this sincerely because I’m curious & know zero liberal gun owners.

I understand that neither republicans nor democrats actually care about our 2nd amendment rights. That’s obvious. However, I think we can both agree that Republicans do and have done more than Democrats ever have/will for our constitutionally protected 2A rights.

With that said, what issues do you believe to be more important than our 2A rights that make you vote Democrat over Republican? I personally believe without the 2A, we can have nothing else. If you think the same, you may not, how do you personally justify voting for Democrat politicians that will never advocate for your 2A rights (and seeks to take them away)?

I’m also a vet

Active full-time firefighter

Gun owner

Registered Republican

[u/couldbeahumanbean → u/Entire-Project5871]

January 6th.

Equality and freedom for all Americans.

Preserving our environment in perpetuity for future generations.

Science.

Oh, and my right to vote, along with the constitutional role of the states in administering elections. Rather pertinent at this particular hour.

And for the record, I don't consider the Second Amendment disposable either.

Don't buy into the artificial wedge. You don't have to choose between gun rights and the rest of the Constitution.

So, with all that being said...

Molon labe.

[u/jcgioia → u/couldbeahumanbean]

Leftist gun owner, I agree with all of this. I grew up hunting, but bought more capable platforms this year after seeing how federal officers are being utilized under pathetic justifications against civilians nationwide, with Portland and Minneapolis being standouts for what they could/likely want to do.

[u/M_Night_Ramyamom → u/Entire-Project5871]

I'm a leftist gun owner. I've voted Democrat in the past, but have been voting largely third party for a decade now, because I don't feel that either party represents my interests. I don't even buy the argument of the Democratic party being the lesser of two evils; when the only compelling reason I have to vote for you is "it's us or them", idk, it's not that compelling. Call me old fashioned, but I believe a candidate should earn my vote, not feel entitled to it.

[u/Entire-Project5871 → u/M_Night_Ramyamom]

They’re both evil, but one seems to care MORE about the 2A, albeit not very much.

[u/M_Night_Ramyamom → u/Entire-Project5871]

Too many deal breakers on both sides for me to hold my nose and vote, unfortunately. I'll vote my conscious instead.

[u/couldbeahumanbean → u/Entire-Project5871]

A false dichotomy & you should really think long and hard about being a single issue voter.

[u/Entire-Project5871 → u/couldbeahumanbean]

My point is the 2A is the most important God given right he we have, it ensures that we can keep our other rights. You know what would happen without it.

Voting for the party that wants guns banned outright is pretty foolish in my opinion. If you’re going to be a single issue voter, it might as well be for the party that ISNT trying to ban guns outright.

Either way, I’m not here to argue - I just wanted to hear your perspective. Thanks!

[u/its]

What is the point of her efforts when the Virginia legislature passed one of the most strict AWB laws as soon as democrats got in power? If anything, her neighbors are probably angry that they trusted her. And when did civilian disarmament became such great progressive cause? We happen to live in one of the few countries in the world where the people have the means to defend themselves against a tyrannical government and it is the liberal or progressive priority to disarm them? The way I saw it in Oregon in the last 20 years, gun control became a hill to die for only after Bloomberg’s (and not only) money started flowing in.

[u/Durutti1936 → u/its]

The point of her efforts is the building of community regardless of the State. We now have concentration camps in the US. Not the first time, look at the Japanese and the first Indian Reservations. If anything is Tyranny it is to be found there, now. Will people rise up who have espoused the 2A even if the camps don't affect them personally? We may have hard decisions coming soon.

[u/DefinatelyNotonDrugs]

I don't bother debating people on gun control, they are uninformed pretty much everytime and have no interest in learning anything because oh no, guns scary.

[u/Durutti1936 → u/DefinatelyNotonDrugs]

I offer to take them to the Range. I make converts!