Yes, Steve, the NRA's suggestion that more guns in schools will make them safer is a part of gun culture. I await your derision. Perhaps you will suggest that I am not patriotic enough. Or I hate the constitution.
Actually, the expert in this story agrees that national laws will probably not stop school shootings. I get that. Despite Steve's selective reading, I have been pretty open to the suggestion that gun regulations will have limited effectiveness. What I have suggested is that we, as a culture start to stand up to this gun culture that deifies weapons.
Expert warns against ‘blindly’ implementing NRA’s ‘superficially simple solution’ to gun violence | The Raw Story
Perhaps a start is that we start shaming or pushing people who hoard weapons to stop doing that. Perhaps we stop encouraging the paranoia of the right and somehow legitimizing it as reasonable. It would be nice if the grownup gun people would somehow differentiate themselves in the public sphere from LaPierre and Ted Nugent. That, of course, would gut the entire idiot base of the Republican party, I am well aware, but it would be better for all of us.
I won't hold my breath. In the meantime, be sure to take offense at this post.
4 comments:
I am outraged!
I am not a school safety expert. I have seen experts take both sides of this debate. Massad Ayoob has suggested that an armed guard could help. Personally, I think these events are so rare that we don't need some national response and schools should just develop policies on their own. There are many schools that already have guards, so others should be able to talk to them before they decide.
As for hoarders and people that deify guns, how would you go about countering this? Where do you draw the line? How much is too much? Outside of the gun culture, most people with more than a few guns seem to be derided already. I certainly wouldn't go around talking about a large collection to coworkers and casual friends.
I think a lot of gun owners would resent this. You may be better off finding some common ground and shaming people that behave dangerously or stupidly. There is a lot of misinformation out there as to what is allowable under the law. Efforts could be made to educate people. I also think that you could go after dummies like Alex Jones or others on the lunatic fringe.
I think what helps is when those of us in the "gun culture" speak-up and deride the Alex Jonses of the world.
It's one thing when it's all Streak. By his own admission, he doesn't own guns. So when you complain, Streak, then some people in the "gun culture" see that as "just another lib peacenik."
My post over at ATK about Jimmy Carter....he is steeped in religious culture. It's part of his very identity. But he finally got sick and tired of their oppressive bullshit, and as someone within religious culture itself, spoke up. I can scream all I want against religion, but I *would*. I don't believe, and when I do, I'm minimized. I'm lumped in with all the other heathens and dismissed by other people within religious culture. There's no reason for them to give one shit.
But Jimmy Carter and the Southern Baptist Convention? maybe some folk think twice now.
So maybe those of us with guns, few or lots, need to be the ones to stand up and poke fun at Alex Jones. Maybe I need to man up as a gun owner myself and say "this guy is off his rocker" and "more guns in schools isn't helpful." Maybe Steve can too.
I agree completely, Smitty. I understand that my voice here means little. I am not a gun owner and not interested in becoming one. Just as I am not a Republican and have no interest in becoming one. My calls for Republicans to moderate are ignored by Republicans. If grownup Republicans would speak out, something might change.
And Steve, I think I have been going after the lunatic fringe. We just seem to disagree on that list. Those of us outside the gun culture see LaPierre and the NRA leadership as nutjobs.
Smitty, I think there are plenty of people in the gun culture that see the value of making fun of Alex Jones. If I had to guess, I would say that AJ is less gun culture and more prepper, paranoid, conspiracy theory culture. Obviously, there is some overlap.
As for Wayne, no, I don't see him as a nutjob. I am neutral about him. I think there are better representatives for the gun rights movement, which is probably why I have never quoted him or even talked about him outside of this blog.
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