Is The Tide Turning?

[choprzrul]

I just seen a report on Headline News about an 89 year old grandmother who met 2 home invaders with her pistol.

WTF??? A positive news article about a law abiding citizen exercising their right to self defense???

What's the world coming to???

Here is the story, but not from HLN. Just really surprised to see it aired on HLN.

I am starting to think that the 2A is becoming more main stream and seen in a different light. I am certain that recent events have raised awareness and have made people stop and realize just how vulnerable that they are out in society.

The tide is turning.

.

[dfletcher]

Well perhaps this isn't the best analogy, but remember when only "perverts" had dirty movies and only wierdos objected to prayer in public schools? Decisions by the Supreme Court put if not a stamp of approval at least stamp of legitmacy on certain activities. Before Heller it was easy for the media and our fellow citizens to do the sometimes joking, sometimes worrisome "oh, you're a gun nut" routine. But now that's not the case. SCOTUS says it's a right, SCOTUS says it's OK - gun ownership gone mainstream.

[IVC]

SCOTUS says it's a right, SCOTUS says it's OK - gun ownership gone mainstream.

It's always been "mainstream." What has changed is that the gun owners are coming out of the closet and MSM will have hard time ignoring it, particularly since there are now so many alternate sources of news that cannot be easily centrally controlled.

[curtisfong]

Not just that, but ignorance of firearms due to geographic isolation from gun culture is rapidly fading due to the Internet.

Most anti-gun sentiment is cemented by simple ignorance.

This effect CANNOT be understated.

[choprzrul]

Not just that, but ignorance of firearms due to geographic isolation from gun culture is rapidly fading due to the Internet.

Most anti-gun sentiment is cemented by simple ignorance.

This effect CANNOT be understated.

How do we leverage this Curtis? I believe that your analysis is 100% correct. I also believe that accurately identifying the problem is the first step in correcting the problem.

So, between using the Internet and firearms ignorance, what is the solution?

Is an online education/safety campaign in order?

.

[WatchMan]

Just look at all the trendy gun "reality" shows on Discovery and some other channels. I'm still in disbelief of what I'm seeing there. I even have recently had some hard-core leftists at work approach me asking me if I could take them to the range because they are sick of feeling vulnerable and want to make a gun purchase. Things are happening, no matter how badly the media want to pretend they're not.

[curtisfong]

How do we leverage this Curtis? I believe that your analysis is 100% correct. I also believe that accurately identifying the problem is the first step in correcting the problem.

So, between using the Internet and firearms ignorance, what is the solution?

Is an online education/safety campaign in order?

My two cents, fwiw:

Presence of VERY smart, articulate people participating in social media I believe is the key. They need to tailor their approach carefully - always know your audience

Some obvious nails that stick out.

Wikipedia participation - but tread lightly, it is heavily politicized and gamed. This is generally the FIRST place people go when they first get curious about firearm "x" as mentioned in a news story. Doing this right might be very challenging. The key is to find somebody already familiar with the "inside" games that go on there. I can't overstate how bad it is... be CAREFUL! You also have to know the lingo and how to leverage the koolaide "I'm just here to make an encyclopedia" party line. Never EVER show any outward signs of bias - except when it comes to declaring your dedication to the wikipedian ideals. IMO WP provides probably the best long term benefit, but might be tricky.

Facebook - everything coalesces here right now. It isn't enough to have a page. You need a lot of people posting *intelligent* comments in all conversations. The less emotional, the better impression it leaves on the reader. Can be tricky because of its cliquish, immature nature. High risk, and even more questionable reward potential, IMO. Same with twitter. I only mention them because of their high profile.

"Trendy" technophile sites (4chan, reddit, boing boing, slashdot) - The message is everything here. Anything pro-technology is a good idea. Libertarian thought is key. Avoiding being that "crazy right wing neo-con anti-obama racist nutjob" is a must. Appeal to the "information wants to be free" crowd. Anti-authoritarian "independent" attitude is prevalent, and highly valued.

"Gamer" sites - IGN, kotaku etc. - Appeal to young FPS players. They're more obsessed by weapon stats than anybody on the planet. Granted, the weapons (and their stats) might be entirely fictional, but the mindset is there.

IMFDB - great site that already has a lot of good firearms information. It is uneven, but I believe it provides a great basis for having the mass media work for us. Even "anti gun" shows (like CSI) get extensive pro-gun coverage here. How can you beat that?

[arc]

While I am also of the opinion that the tide is turning in regard to public perception of firearms, I don't necessarily think this story qualifies as evidence for it.

This strikes me more as a "Man bites dog" story. 89 year old ladies are supposed to be weak and helpless and fragile, that's what we expect of them. Therefore it is news because an 89 year old lady turned out to NOT be weak and helpless and fragile. It's out of the ordinary, that's why it's news. If she had been killed and her house robbed instead, it probably wouldn't have made much news. That's the kind of thing the public expects would happen.

Show me a story where a respectable mid-20s-something single man uses a firearm to protect himself and isn't made out to be some sort of violent vigilante. No, really, that would be awesome.

-James

[choprzrul]

My two cents, fwiw:

Presence of VERY smart, articulate people participating in social media I believe is the key. They need to tailor their approach carefully - always know your audience

Some obvious nails that stick out.

Wikipedia participation - but tread lightly, it is heavily politicized and gamed. This is generally the FIRST place people go when they first get curious about firearm "x" as mentioned in a news story. Doing this right might be very challenging. The key is to find somebody already familiar with the "inside" games that go on there. I can't overstate how bad it is... be CAREFUL! You also have to know the lingo and how to leverage the koolaide "I'm just here to make an encyclopedia" party line. Never EVER show any outward signs of bias - except when it comes to declaring your dedication to the wikipedian ideals. IMO WP provides probably the best long term benefit, but might be tricky.

Facebook - everything coalesces here right now. It isn't enough to have a page. You need a lot of people posting *intelligent* comments in all conversations. The less emotional, the better impression it leaves on the reader. Can be tricky because of its cliquish, immature nature. High risk, and even more questionable reward potential, IMO. Same with twitter. I only mention them because of their high profile.

"Trendy" technophile sites (4chan, reddit, boing boing, slashdot) - The message is everything here. Anything pro-technology is a good idea. Libertarian thought is key. Avoiding being that "crazy right wing neo-con anti-obama racist nutjob" is a must. Appeal to the "information wants to be free" crowd. Anti-authoritarian "independent" attitude is prevalent, and highly valued.

"Gamer" sites - IGN, kotaku etc. - Appeal to young FPS players. They're more obsessed by weapon stats than anybody on the planet. Granted, the weapons (and their stats) might be entirely fictional, but the mindset is there.

IMFDB - great site that already has a lot of good firearms information. It is uneven, but I believe it provides a great basis for having the mass media work for us. Even "anti gun" shows (like CSI) get extensive pro-gun coverage here. How can you beat that?

Good stuff.

How about an online 'Chilton' manual for every firearm. Video and text instruction for safe handling/use and educational for tear down and maintenance? Huge project, I understand. Along with that project, add basic to advanced handling and safety courses that you can take and then test out of.

Such a resource would take a lot of the mystery and ignorance out of firearms for a lot of people. They could become more comfortable and knowledgeable while on their computer at home. Then, there is a much better chance of them visiting a local gun shop and/or range to do in in person.

.

[IrishPirate]

I think it's not so much a Pro-gun sentiment that's happening, but more of a "maybe criminals don't deserve our sympathy anymore" sentiment. I haven't seen any Pro-gun stories...just anti-criminal stories.

I do think that more Americans are starting to realize all the crap the anti's spew is just that...crap...and as such they are starting to see that there is a big difference between the gun culture and the criminal culture, but that's not really something i'd attribute to the media so much as word of mouth and internet forums such as Calguns.

[IVC]

Therefore it is news because an 89 year old lady turned out to NOT be weak and helpless and fragile. It's out of the ordinary, that's why it's news. If she had been killed and her house robbed instead, it probably wouldn't have made much news. That's the kind of thing the public expects would happen.

The point you are missing is that the story could have been, and just a few years ago would have been, ignored. The anti-gun agenda requires that "guns are evil" so any "good use" is often ignored.

Look at Brady's web site and tell me if you can figure out how many "gun-related deaths" were from justified self defense. They don't want you to know...

[wjc]

Couple of observations from me...

1) Colorado guns sales increase by 41% after the Aurora shooting.
2) Responses to polls and articles in newspapers and other online site indicates a much larger presence of pro-gun comments v. anti-gun comments.


...which is really encouraging but we wouldn't sit on our laurels just yet...

[CALawyer]

My two cents, fwiw:

Presence of VERY smart, articulate people participating in social media I believe is the key. They need to tailor their approach carefully - always know your audience

Some obvious nails that stick out.

Wikipedia participation - but tread lightly, it is heavily politicized and gamed. This is generally the FIRST place people go when they first get curious about firearm "x" as mentioned in a news story. Doing this right might be very challenging. The key is to find somebody already familiar with the "inside" games that go on there. I can't overstate how bad it is... be CAREFUL! You also have to know the lingo and how to leverage the koolaide "I'm just here to make an encyclopedia" party line. Never EVER show any outward signs of bias - except when it comes to declaring your dedication to the wikipedian ideals. IMO WP provides probably the best long term benefit, but might be tricky.

Facebook - everything coalesces here right now. It isn't enough to have a page. You need a lot of people posting *intelligent* comments in all conversations. The less emotional, the better impression it leaves on the reader. Can be tricky because of its cliquish, immature nature. High risk, and even more questionable reward potential, IMO. Same with twitter. I only mention them because of their high profile.

"Trendy" technophile sites (4chan, reddit, boing boing, slashdot) - The message is everything here. Anything pro-technology is a good idea. Libertarian thought is key. Avoiding being that "crazy right wing neo-con anti-obama racist nutjob" is a must. Appeal to the "information wants to be free" crowd. Anti-authoritarian "independent" attitude is prevalent, and highly valued.

"Gamer" sites - IGN, kotaku etc. - Appeal to young FPS players. They're more obsessed by weapon stats than anybody on the planet. Granted, the weapons (and their stats) might be entirely fictional, but the mindset is there.

IMFDB - great site that already has a lot of good firearms information. It is uneven, but I believe it provides a great basis for having the mass media work for us. Even "anti gun" shows (like CSI) get extensive pro-gun coverage here. How can you beat that?

This is one of the smartest posts I have seen on the internet in years.

[choprzrul]

This is one of the smartest posts I have seen on the internet in years.

Are Curtis' thoughts the guidelines that we all need to follow?

.

[AeroEngi]

I saw this as I was driving to work this morning. It was posted above a freeway sign on the 110 S in downtown L.A. You would never see anything like this a few years ago. I think people are starting to be a little more open-minded about guns.



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