Imagine how proud we were to find ourselves included in this paranoid, anti-gun screed published by the far left Center for American Progress. They decry what they call strategic propaganda designed to convince Americans that they need to own firearms, instilling feelings of fear and insecurity in hapless, impressionable consumers.
This, they say, is despite “evidence-based research” that reveals guns aren’t really an effective means of self-defense. Yet they see no contradiction in making that claim while noting our (almost daily) Defensive Gun Use of the Day posts.
The mind of the hoplophobe is a puzzling riddle wrapped in a baffling mystery inside an impenetrable enigma.
Individual gun ownership is a deeply entrenched cultural tradition in parts of the United States. Through strategic lobbying efforts launched primarily by the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the late 20th century, the gun industry has sought to exploit the intersection of gun ownership and cultural tradition by developing an insidious narrative portraying any regulation of firearms as an attack on freedom. Their efforts have given rise to the so-called gun rights movement.15
By deploying strategic propaganda campaigns, discussing impending hypothetical attacks from terrorist organizations, or using singular acts of violence perpetrated by undocumented immigrants to suggest a population-level threat,16 the gun lobby has been able to seize on fear and insecurities across the United States. Many people now rely on firearm ownership as a reaction to a gun industry-constructed doomsday scenario.17 The industry has created a false narrative that people are always at risk of violent attack and offers up a simple yet deeply flawed solution: Buy a firearm to protect yourself and your family.18
This messaging runs in stark contrast to the bulk of the evidence-based research that has been conducted on the topic, which finds that firearms are not an effective means of self-defense. In fact, academic studies show that having firearms in the home correlate with an increase in unintentional shootings, often involving children, as well as higher rates of firearm suicides.19 Research also indicates that firearms used to perpetrate school shootings most often come from the shooter’s home, where they are stored under the pretense of self-defense.20
The idea that civilians need to be armed to ward off bad actors—the “good guy with a gun” concept painted by the gun lobby—does not represent reality. FBI data show that armed civilians rarely stop armed assailants and instead only make it harder for law enforcement to secure the scene of a shooting.21
While the gun lobby was establishing a narrative creating an environment of fear and constant risk, the gun industry was launching marketing campaigns to sell their deadly products. To complement the fear-based narrative pushed by the gun lobby, the industry marketed certain weapons specifically as self-defense products. Glock, for example, has a search filter for their website specifically for firearms designed for home defense,22 and Remington sells a series of guns marked as “Home Defense Models.”23
The principle marketing tool to sell hollow-tip ammunition—which is designed to expand on impact, increasing damage to the person shot and reducing the risk of overpenetration—is to brand them as self-defense ammo or personal-defense ammo.24
The gun lobby’s efforts extend beyond the commercial market; some of the gun lobby’s most pernicious pieces of propaganda are seized upon and perpetuated organically by members of the so-called gun rights community. Gun rights advocates convene regularly online to discuss different aspects of firearms and accessories in addition to regularly using forums to spread gun lobby myths and propaganda.25
The idea of needing a gun to protect against home invasions is perpetuated across self-described gun enthusiast websites such as The Truth About Guns, which has a daily posting called “Defensive Gun Use of the Day.”26 The posts detail incidents where a gun owner was attacked, most often in their home, and how their ability to seize a firearm and act swiftly in self-defense prevented them from being harmed by the attackers. Another popular site, The Carry Academy, features information about carrying firearms for self-defense, including reviews of firearms deemed to be most effective against intruders.27
– Rukmani Bahtia in Untangling the Gun Lobby’s Web of Self-Defense and Human Rights
Congratulation TTAG has made the big time! Be known by your enemies, I have often wondered if they were watching.
Always known NRA just kept them occupied.
What really torques up anti gun filth is when yours truly points out the fact that Gun Control is rooted in racism and genocide. In other words Gun Control is a racist and nazi based agenda. Trying to call the aforementioned propaganda is indeed futile but it’s all the lying filth can do.
There must be something about Black that brings the slave master out in democRats. Yesterday it was those cotten picking slaves will have no guns. Today it’s none of those America lovers are going have any Black Rifles.
TRUMP/PENCE 2020.
“Be known by your enemies, I have often wondered if they were watching.”
Oh, they most certainly have been.
A few years back, I was spit-ballin’ in here some ideas on how Leftists might attack semi-auto rifles. One idea I floated was that they might put them on the NFA. Lo and behold, a few months back, one of the major anti orgs suggested just that.
The fact TTAG was specifically-mentioned by them shows just how much they fear us.
Make no mistake – that’s an official Martha Stewart “Good Thing”… 🙂
(Smile-face emojis included just to piss off frustrated incels masturbating furiously in their mom’s basement.)
I have noticed quite a few new posters of late, I was even going to make that statement just this past Monday. Quite a few real arguers that will drag an issue for many posts without let up then disappear or change monikers.
“Quite a few real arguers that will drag an issue for many posts without let up then disappear or change monikers.”
Aw, rats ! Caught me again.
TTAG is most definitely a target of McChrystal trolling efforts.
When someone claims to be conservative voting for Harris or how we need to just give up and focus on 2024, it’s a clear sign.
‘Let’s let them have the oval office, the house and the senate. We can still fight gun control like we always have.’ enuf.
And don’t forget the [politically] unfightable Supreme Court, which would inevitably follow.
Oh yeah, I’ll also add, if they’re spewing a bunch of sewage about “the Lincoln project”.
“The Lincoln project” is nothing more then a leftist deep org designed to flip not only the presidency but congress to the democrats. It’s for dudes like Mitt Romney or John Kasich.
Lincoln himself would’ve had a huge problem with that.
John Kasich will be a featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention. He’s one of those “real republicans” fighting for “true” conservative values! He’s totally not a bitter loser like many of the Bush and McCain allies and the neocons that were called out on their failed policy ideas.
“…often wondered if they were watching.”
where do you think these election year numbskulls here come from?
Precisely. One should always go with the assumption, given the nature of the topic at hand.
This columnist goes from, “(gun ownership is a) deeply flawed solution” to gun ownership works, see TTAG.
“They” are always watching. “They” need to know where your boat sank.
Neat, can’t wait to see their readers comments if they actually read and think objectively.
No comments allowed on their site. Unsurprising.
That’s okay; we see enough of them here. (I leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out who they are.)
Expect an uptick in trolling activity?…
Hoping for it in my case current ones are just lazy and need some competition. On the serious note exposure to truth does sometimes change perceptions.
Expect? They’re already here. miner, enuf, ed p……..
Aww no robust debates where an idea can be discussed and examined in detail. An oversight of course….. and yes also not suprised.
I noticed many news sites, both national and local, did away with the comments section soon after the 2016 election.
Funny how that works with the “defenders of the 1st amendment”
It’s a recommended MO among civilian disarmers. Why waste time with comments, which most people don’t read? And most of the people who do read comments already have firm opinions. They are focused on dictating the headlines, which is all most people read, if they are paying attention at all. Trolls may have some function, but it’s way, way secondary.
Cancel culture’s modus operandi to a “tee”. Anyone who’s surprised, raise your hand.
*looks about a room full of annoyed looking people with no hands raised*
Definitely not surprising. I find it ironic that they talk about propaganda, but are afraid (chicken) to invite any debate on their one-sided assertion.
“FBI data show that armed civilians rarely stop armed assailants…”
I didn’t realize that FBI collected data on DGUs – at least, outside of the context of a crime successfully taking place (i.e. a victim is created) and/or a DGU ending in the death of the attacker (which accounts for a tiny fraction of actual DGUs).
Citing FBI (UCR, I assume?) data is a straw man. Based on relevant research and statistics, there are anywhere from 200K to 3MM DGUs annually.
But who am I to challenge the assertions of the Center for American Propaganda?
Never let the facts get in the way of a story that feels right.
Typo, I’m sure.
What they MEANT to say was technically correct – “FBI data rarely show that armed civilians stop armed assailants…” It would be correct for the reasons you mentioned, and also incredibly misleading to people who don’t understand the weasel wording of it.
It’s stuff like this that finally converted me to the official Guns Are Good position.
I already knew it intuitively, but I wanted to know if the facts on the ground supported it. So, several years ago, I went on a weeks-to-months long reading and research campaign, looking up the best evidence both sides had to offer.
Whenever a gun site cited facts, logic, and numbers, I went to two places: first, the source of the facts and numbers, to evaluate their veracity; second, to mainstream and anti-gun sources to see what they said about those numbers and how they countered the logic. The facts and numbers cited by pro-gun people were almost always true as advertised. The anti-gun articles, on the other hand, assiduously avoided facts and numbers and rarely linked sources when they did make a claim; and as Chip points out above, the few researched sources they cited did *not* mean what they claimed. And the “mainstream” media only parroted the lies I’d already read through and torn apart on Media Matters, CAP, the Brady Campaign, etc., etc.
And instead of countering logic with logic, the anti-gun side always did this instead (from the article excerpt above):
The research, such as it is, is unremarkable; of course the deranged goblins who shoot up schools steal firearms from the closest available source, and that’s often going to be people they live with. But look at what the CAP article did with the second half of that sentence; if you just accept it uncritically, as most casual readers will, it looks like research shows that those stupid, evil gun owners KNEW their guns would shoot angelic children and just PRETENDED to be keeping them for self-defense. Of course that’s an outright lie, but they weasel it in under the cloak of something that’s mostly true.
Anybody who follows the evidence can reach only one conclusion: the anti-gun side has no solid ground to stand on, and they know it. Everything they do is misdirection — keeping people too hopped up on emotion to notice their empty arguments and lies. While the pro-gun side has its share of cranks and weirdos, I’d rather be among them than the gaggle of liars, idiots, and sheep that make up the other side.
Everything they do is misdirection — keeping people too hopped up on emotion to notice their empty arguments and lies.
While the pro-gun side has its share of cranks and weirdos,
I’d rather be among them than the gaggle of liars, idiots, and sheep that make up the other side.
Ing, we are both in WA
If we ever meet, I’ll buy you a beer ..
I see, we’re supposed to overlook the riots and the anti-gun statements and actions by Biden, Harris, Cuomo, Widmer, James, O’Rourke; et al. Pay no attention to what you see & hear. It’s all just your imagination & irrational fear.
They’ve promised not to include a 10 year sunset provision on the next assault weapons ban legislation if they can ever pass it. Don’t worry though, highly aware (you might even say woke) enuf has promised to “fight for the courts” once he’s finished fighting to flip the senate to democrat control.
“They’ve promised not to include a 10 year sunset provision on the next assault weapons ban legislation if they can ever pass it.”
That’s the only way it could have been passed in the first place, back then.
It was a gamble, and we won. Had Florida in 2000 had 500 more votes for Gore, it would have been permanent, and a 400-dollar AR today would instead cost 3,500 or more, and 10+ magazines would be *gold*.
Are AR magazines Unobtanium? My AR build begins this week when the Anderson lowers arrive…
“The idea that civilians need to be armed to ward off bad actors—the “good guy with a gun” concept painted by the gun lobby—does not represent reality.”
Really?
The recent lawlessness of both the criminals and elected officials in several Democrat-controlled cities only prove “that civilians need to be armed to ward off bad actors”.
I’d say the loss of the rule of law in Portland, Seattle, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other cities along with the substantial increase in violent crime is reality and completely proves the points made by the “gun lobby”.
I am mostly interested in what all the new gun owners have to think about this madness. As the mask slips it will be harder to ignore let alone miss.
The mask can’t slip… Covid-19 and all that.
Well played
I’m going to need the supplier of these non-slip masks you speak of. I spend 12 hrs a day working in an ER, and our masks CONSTANTLY slip. We’ve resorted to taping and nose to our faces. We all look like we’re going through puberty again.
Articles like this are the death throws of holier-than-thou busybodies who hate the idea of the unwashed masses owning firearms, and the one two punch of the commie cough panic and the Burn Loot Murder temper tantrums causing a boom in firearms sales.
It’s hard to label gun owners as the bad guys when more and more people are saying, “well, I own guns and I’m not a bad guy.”
Very well said. The Leftist agenda and methods have proven EXACTLY why we need weapons for defense, not only in our homes from a single assailant, but weapons that can defend self, family, and others against the insurmountable odds of facing mobs of the violent lawless. When “citizens” lose the ability to adequately protect themselves against not only crime, but against tyranny, they become “subjects” which is nothing more than a kind word for being held captive by those with the most force.
I’d venture to say most on the progressive Left need to study up a bit more on world history and see where gun control invariably leads.
Surely global pandemic, job losses, quarantine lockdowns, supply breakdowns, cultural clashes, rioting, terror attacks, government leaders support of criminals and terrorists over law, order, and peace, Etc etc… Those have nothing to do with it, that would be crazy talk!
Obviously we are living the good life, everything is swell, so fire up the Netflix and just chill. Oh, and remember to protest and do your duty and vote for Kamala, er, Biden, they will make it all better.
I’d say that the recent actions of socialist-democrat core constituents in Seattle, Portland, Chicago and Washington DC have served as the “strategic propaganda, fear and insecurity” for firearms purchases.
+1
Best chuckle of the morning!
You got to love an Author that cites facts from a previous article THEY wrote to back up their own new assertions.
A 1st-year highschool LD debater would gut this person for fun…
This coming from The Center For un American Marxists is high praise,TTAG is doing something right.
You bet your ass –
The CAP is a top-tier anti organization; for them to mention us is high praise indeed…
You know you are on target when you are receiving flack.
In some ways, that is a badge of honor. I think it was George Orwell that said, “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”. (Or something close to that.) Sounds like TTAC is something this Nation’s Founding Fathers would have been a part of.
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me (but not really). The author really, really despises Stand Your Ground laws (apparently, she thinks that law-abiding people should have a duty to retreat from violent criminals). FTA:
The shooter was acquitted because the prosecution proved, beyond reasonable doubt, that Martin was not “simply walking in a gated community” but instead approached, confronted, and assaulted the shooter – and that Martin was in the act of assaulting the shooter (in fact: straddling the shooter and preventing any means of retreat, which is why SYG was irrelevant) at the moment the shooter used deadly force.
But it gets better! She argues against SYG by citing two cases in which defendants attempted to assert SYG but were prosecuted anyway (in one case, found guilty; in the other, prosecution still pending):
In other words: the actual implementation of the law works exactly opposite of how she claims that it works.
And then, she tries the racial angle. See if you can spot the sleight of hand here:
Did you catch it?
She starts by discussing cross-racial incidents, and then conflates it by discussing victim race-based statistics.
Around 5 – 10% of black victims are killed by white attackers. (By comparison, around 10 – 15% of white victims are killed by black attackers.) The vast majority of killings are intra-racial: black victims killed by black attackers and white victims killed by white attackers.
So, when the author points out that “In incidents where the victim was not white, the “stand your ground” defense was more likely to succeed,” she is trying to imply that white defendants are successfully asserting SYG against black decedents – but in reality, what it means is that black defendants are successfully asserting SYG against black decedents.
Since law-abiding black people are disproportionately affected by violent crime, that outcome is a good thing to anyone who actually respects the value of human life, rather than wanting to score political points by waving bloody shirts.
So legal knowledge is about CNN deep?
The authors description of the Zimmerman case was so short on details and so long on lies as to be laughable. But that kind of propaganda is what they are paid for.
John Lott wrote a colum from his research. He found the biggest users of the Stand Your Ground laws are black victims.
I think a lot of hoplophobes come at the issue with a mindset of morality, and not logic.
“Guns and the people who own them are bad, therefore, I’m a good person for hating them. The data doesn’t matter, because if it’s contradictory to my beliefs, that would mean I’m not a good person, and I’m definitely a good person.”
You can argue with data ‘til the cows come home. It’s infinitely harder to argue with someone when they approach the topic from the angle of morality.
The Liberal Socialist democrat leadership learned decades ago that their acolytes were much easier swayed and controlled if their agenda was put in the context of emotions. Emotions are easier manipulated than facts and don’t require education. Thus you see the Dumbing Down of the education system. Along with the emphasis on feelings. The truth is irrelevant as long as They feel good about the outcome.
Both of you are correct and spot on.
“Emotions are easier manipulated than facts and don’t require education.”
I read a piece in left biased Politico the other day laying out Joe Biden’s path to the White House. They said the keys were the George Floyd inspired “protests” and Covid-19. They cautioned Joe on getting into the policy debate weeds. They said he shouldn’t rely too heavily on being part of the Obama administration because that would open him up to attacks. They said Obama’s presence on the campaign trail would be enough for democrat voters. In other words, they think the only way for him to win is to pin the “civil unrest”, every virus related death, and every job lost on Trump. Truth, I mean emotion over facts!
And isn’t it ironic the real world doesn’t care about their feelings?
“No tears please, it is a waste of good suffering!”
They don’t ever worry about the outcome (riots? What riots?) because their good intentions are all that matter.
“All humans have the fundamental right to life.” That right to life ends when someone decides to victimize another human. I hope these tards get to experience the statistically insignificant crime that leads to our so called fear mongering.
They cite international law as not protecting the right to self defense, well American law does so suck on that! In the fight to defend my rights I will stand my ground 😉.
“They cite international law as not protecting the right to self defense, well American law does so suck on that!”
I wouldn’t laugh at that if I were you – Some American courts have made rulings citing ‘International’ law. Does it surprise you the judges doing that lean hard Left?
What we need (but won’t get) is Federal law outlawing any other law than American law to be used in American courts. That’s part of their systemic dis-mantling of America…
I’m pretty sure that’s explicit in the Constitution already. No law made by a foreign body can be considered in the US unless Congress accepts it (in a treaty, for instance). And even then, it’s still not allowed to abrogate any part of the Constitution or right of the people.
Hard to believe anyone can publish an article with so many outright lies; lies that can easily be self-checked on the Internet. It accuses the gun industry of fomenting fear and yet all their propaganda does exactly that – promotes fear of guns and, in general, or anyone that uses or wears one. Oh, except for law enforcement or security guards, the former of which are beyond reproach? Keep up the great work TTAG. You’re now a major league hitter.
I’m sure the fact checkers at facebook and twitter will suspend their account any second now. /sarc
I sincerely doubt this article was written with people who actually fact check in mind. This piece is just more lube for the circle jerk.
hahaha. a beaut.
“business on parade.”
Liberals protected by armed men should take their advice and disarm the guards.
So what is it when they use hypothetical events of terrorist attacks and one-off violent events to push for more gun control?
Day ending with a y?
Gotta love it when they claim data shows guns are virtually never useful in self-defense — and then point out the fact that TTAG alone has documented *actual* armed self-defense incidents on a near-daily basis for 10 years.
This stuff isn’t meant to be analyzed or examined at even the most cursory level. It’s a collection of talking points written by propagandists for committed followers and fellow propagandists to propagate.
This article is pure projection. All of the myth-building and propaganda of which they accuse the gun lobby they themselves engage in.
What a load of guano…they prove we are right by their prattle. THIS week the Black Looters Murder mob “attempted” to invade my southern Cook County burb. After trashing(and stealing from) an unprepared Chiraq. A bit of spine stopped them-unlike on May 31. I myself was motivated to become a gun owner after several young punks banged on my door on a rainy night 10year’s ago. I did become a 2A zealot and about 6(7)? year’s ago became a regular on TTAG. For what it’s worth…
parked in work truck, ogden/ clybourn (this is defanged ogden, where it no longer has relevance to the corridor- the division overpass is long gone and the new city ymca replaced with… a mall. but i digest). carload of youts parked a hundred yards behind approach me for a jump start. i decline on the grounds that learn to drive a stick and bump start it. after a half hour of milling around, they start the vehicle and leave. yo.
dumb ass in a hondas driving skills suck. give him whatfer, he drops back and follows, right to where i block him at the end of a looong alley. having called ahead, he’s now surrounded. tosses fire crackers out the window, says he’s got somethin’ else for me. i return the implication, he starts “recording” saying a privileged individual is oppressing an unarmed minority. his girlfriend is mortified. having previously subdued my passions, his tactical errors are pointed out in order of occurrence. he grasps this and accepts the task of backing all the way out. how timid the screeching can become when confronted.
i make my stand here, until i don’t. things are very different and more will get hurt.
the homeless drunks hang out in the extra value liquors parking lot. they sleep in the alley. last thursday they offer me beer, ask for cigars. i decline; it’s 22:30 and i rise at 04:30- not that i’m done yet… an hour later a van pulls up to them, three get out targeting one of the four. the homicide barely makes press, not even the cwb blog. they were all in their fifties and still bangin’.
“he starts “recording” saying a privileged individual is oppressing an unarmed minority.”
Meaning, you have a job that for decades you showed up every day for, and that makes you ‘privileged’?
That’s more than a bit fucked-up. Be careful, man. It sounds like they are looking to target someone like you. I’d rather not read about you on Hey Jackass…
Does management understand that CAP is signaling all leftist troll farms to attack TTAG? Expect a new wave of trolls
Clicks is clicks. I believe that’s all our new management is interested in.
“Clicks is clicks. I believe that’s all our new management is interested in.”
An easy assumption, but do we have evidence that the “clicks” are being monetized?
Like any publication TTAG sells ads. The more clicks the more the advertising space is worth.
If it’s clicks that keep TTAG going click on.
You don’t need to respond to every troll. Just be creative to the ones you do respond to.
It cost money to run a troll farm. If you want to punish them financially then you remove them and their money is wasted. You want to give some troll the benefit of the doubt I am good with that but the obvious ones you delete. Conservative commitment to free speech in the face of information war is suicidal. The left understands this and disables comments to prevent their opponents from counterattacking. Many conservative sites use Disqus which censors comments so they can hardly claim that they are Islands of free speech. If you use Disqus it literally impossible to hold an academic discussion of Germany between 1933-45 without having comment moderated.
Brace yourself for more riots! A 25 year old white man in NC walked out of his house and shot his neighbor’s 5 year old black kid point blank. We don’t know the motive yet, but has that ever stopped anyone? Let’s see, white guy pulling the trigger on a black kid…I think we can come up with something. Will this kid end up being a martyr like Saint George Floyd? Only time will tell…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8619955/Mom-boy-5-shot-dead-neighbor-25-house-says-killer-rot-hell.html
For some reason the major news outlets aren’t covering this so we’ll have to get our information from a UK news outlet. Ohh, it was a black guy that shot a white kid. It doesn’t fit the narrative. Well that explains it.
https://www.cnn.com/search?q=Darius+Sessoms
https://www.msnbc.com/search/?q=Darius+Sessoms#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Darius%20Sessoms&gsc.page=1
https://www.foxnews.com/search-results/search?q=Darius%20Sessoms
i was gonna say…
That CAP article hurt my head to read (the actual article, not your summation and critique.) I don’t think they missed a single globalist talking point. Good to know I am a colonialist, racist, capitalist, xenophobe.
FWIW, allegedly there were ~10,000,000 arrests by law enforcement in 2016 (https://theintercept.com/2019/01/31/arrests-policing-vera-institute-of-justice/). If we take the low end report of DGUs by CDC (250,000), then indeed, DGUs are “rare”. If we take the top end stat (3,000,000), then DGUs represent 30% of actual crime events, which some might argue constitutes “rare”. If we look at the number of alleged gun owners (~100,000,000) the estimates of DGUs represents even smaller proportions. Of course, all this takes more time to think than the average gun-grabber would be able to read, evaluate, understand.
Rarity does not equal insignificance. Violent crime on a per capita basis is rare — and VERY significant to all involved.
We make rational decisions to protect ourselves against rare, but significant risks all the time. Armed self-defense is one of those.
“Rarity does not equal insignificance.”
Just noting that “rare” might be the only “fact” in the article.
And right you are.
Sam,
I don’t think that comes across as “rare”. Opinions on the author’s conclusions aside, taking her stats as credible (which I assume you do, because you cited them) “violent offenses make up less than 5 percent of arrests”. 500K a year, of which many (low-level barfights and DVs) don’t rise to the level of legally justified firearm use, some under circumstances where it would be unfeasible (child abuse with no adult witnesses), and of course many committed against the majority of households where no guns are present. In that proper context, DGU ranges from roughly equal to vastly more effective than arrests – almost too good to be true!
Half a million anything in a pool of 350,000,000 is, indeed “rare”. I agree with the author about that one thing. Even compared to the stat that in 2016, there were 10,000,000 arrests by LE, 500,000 DGUs compared to ten million arrests is a “rare” event: i.e. arrests are more “not rare” than are DGUs.
Regarding 500,000 DGUs among 350,000,000 persons, you end up with 0.0014 of the population involved. That cannot be considered “not rare”. 500,000 DGUs compared to 10,000,000 arrests doesn’t make DGUs “not rare”. (0.05).
(Actually, we don’t really know if DGUs are “rare”, or not; we don’t really know how many DGUs happen each year.)
Comparison with a huge and imprecise data set can have that effect. I could truthfully state “I am a 220lb weightlifter, and a rare percentage of the population is stronger than I am!” – where “the population” includes children, women, the elderly, disabled, or sick, dudes half my size, etc. Compared with other 220lb weightlifters, I’m actually kinda weak!
250K-3M DGUs by the whole US population seems small, at least until one compares it to the number of times other protective devices regarded as important (or even mandatory), like airliner slides or life jackets, prevent harm every year. That number vs. ALL arrests, medium. Peeling away all those nonviolent crimes and other irrelevant categories to compare DGUs only to the number of arrests in which DGUs could actually, legally have taken place paints a very different picture.
“Peeling away all those nonviolent crimes and other irrelevant categories to compare DGUs only to the number of arrests in which DGUs could actually, legally have taken place paints a very different picture.”
DGUs are still “rare” in the grand scheme of things. Of course, DGUs are not ”rare” in events involving DGUs. But overall, people are taking this way to seriously. Of all the statements in the article, the “rarity” of DGUs seemed the most accurate. That was the beginning and end of the observation.
The serious issue is the conclusion from the claim of “rarity”…that DGUs are so infrequent as to justify permitting persons conducting a DGU being simply left to die, so that “good people” can be safe from inner city crime and murder. That 500,000 more deaths are acceptable if it means “good people” don’t have to fear being shot when attacking other “good people”. It is total insanity.
She has made Hoplophobia into her career and the Center for American Progress her employer:
https://www.americanprogress.org/person/bhatia-rukmani/
Have a look at her employer, the Center For American Progress. Do not miss the internal scandals, and who pays for their work. Both lists are very interesting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_American_Progress
The Hoplopbobe suffers a cognitive dysfunction. Violence must have an attributable root cause (true enough) but that cause (human behavior) is always ignored in favor of a simplistic, even magical solution. To the Hoplophobe, the math is always this: No weapons = No violence
As if the human animal never harmed another until some enterprising purveyor of violence and death came along to invent and market a pointy stick or a convenient rock that fit the hand?
The nonsensical becomes “Common Sense” when a phobia takes over one’s ability to Reason.
Such as Agoraphobia, which may involve fear of open places, fear of crowds, fear of travel (even short distances). It is unreasoning panic. Unreasoning anxiety. No matter the calm of the scene or the pleasantness of the view, the Phobia takes the person’s ability to Reason and turns it into emotional mush. With nothing to fixate on but the Phobia, the Agoraphobic panics and hides away from life.
The Hoplophobe is different. They have a point they can focus upon, build a functioning life view upon. The inanimate object, the weapon, or weapons. Because their fear has a focal point they can build a mythology around it, a pseudo science, a mechanism of coping and preventing the emotional collapse. The long term effects are seen in the routine failure of the scientific method. They quote their own work, ignore great masses of data that does not support their phobia. Interpret all data as either facts in support of their cognitive malfunction or outlandish propaganda in opposition.
The manner in which the author addresses actual cases of Defensive Gun Use is a glaring example. The fact that anyone would report upon a DGU is not evidence that guns can in fact save lives (and do so every day in large numbers), but rather a report of a successful DGU can only be interpreted as false, contrary to doctrine and an act of propaganda.
The best solution to Hoplophobia is education beginning at a young age. The teaching of safety for young children, safety around many things. The hot stove. The ladder. The swimming pool. The gun in a closet or a drawer. Sharp objects. Respect of the dangers and risks in the inanimate objects humans invent and use is a thing that must be taught and learned.
In the end it really is very simple.
To protect your child, teach your child.
Not to drown.
Not to play with matches.
Not to run out into a street.
Not to play on ladders.
Not to run with a scissor in hand.
And yes, that guns are not toys, and that a few specific rules will protect them.
Knowledge is power, but a phobia is a destroyer of Reason and a great handicap in life.
Don’t you want to flip Congress blue?
No, I vote Republican in all other races.
Turning Congress Blue, and the White House as well, is the fault of the idiots who supported Trump for the nomination four years ago. You people fucked us over royally, and naturally, you blame everyone but that face in your mirror.
“Turning Congress Blue, and the White House as well, is the fault of the idiots who supported Trump for the nomination four years ago. You people fucked us over royally, and naturally, you blame everyone but that face in your mirror.”
Yet you’re promoting a group with the stated intention of handing the senate over to democrats. You’re a special kind of crazy.
Please explain how you got effed over Mr. Lincoln project person. I voted for President Trump…Going to again here shortly.
“…You people fucked us over royally, and naturally, you blame everyone but that face in your mirror….”
One of founders of the Lincoln Project is a registered lobbyist for a foreign government. The Russian government to be specific.
lol @ boomer neo-con.
You have an extreme case of TDS. Be careful of what you want because the price paid will be high.
I don’t believe you have ever voted republican. You’re more like a Libertarian pot head. Soft on guns. Strong on shooting up crystal meth to improve your sexual experience in public.
“Because their fear has a focal point they can build a mythology around it, a pseudo science, a mechanism of coping and preventing the emotional collapse”
Kinda like Trumpphobia. No wonder you understand this so well.
An Israeli doctor says: “In Israel, medicine is so advanced that we can cut off a man’s testicles, put them on another man and in 6 weeks, he is looking for work”.
The German doctor says: “That’s nothing, in Germany we take part of a brain, put it in another man, and in 4 weeks he is looking for work”.
The Russian doctor says: “Gentlemen, we take half a heart from a man, put it in another’s chest and in 2 weeks he is looking for work”.
The United States doctor laughs: “You all are behind us. Three years ago, we took a man with no brains, no heart and no balls and made him President. Now, the whole country is looking for work.
You didn’t have to, but thanks for proving my point.
+1
Let’s see. Billionaire Tycoon sits in the White House. Enuf sits behind the keyboard and calls him stupid. Does Enuf see the irony in this?
You’re looking for work in an economy that had record low unemployment for everyone including blacks and latinos? (before COVID, which is an outside agent and has no fault on the economy) Let me guess, it required you leaving mom’s basement?
You have yet to specify what makes Trump the Domestic Enemy. Your failure to answer a simple question would idicate you have nothing but feelz.
oh look, it blew enough (for one day).
agoraphobia: don’t leave home without it.
Surprised we haven’t seen more of the trolls in comments on this post, only our local Fudd Enuf. Likely they are still sniffing the new VP nominee, like Biden the Sniffer Prime.
Give Debbie W. a chance, I’m sure she’ll be by soon under someone else’s identify.
When this forum moves to the SimpleMachines software, if that happens, the ability to lock people out will improve greatly. SimpleMachines is not fool proof, but I have seen it work quite well in other online chat places.
Simple Machines Forum
https://www.simplemachines.org/
“Simple Machines Forum — SMF in short — is a free, professional grade software package that allows you to set up your own online community within minutes.
Its powerful custom made template engine puts you in full control of the layout of your message board and with our unique SSI – or Server Side Includes – function you can let your forum and your website interact with each other.
SMF is written in the popular language PHP and uses a MySQL database. It is designed to provide you with all the features you need from a bulletin board while having an absolute minimal impact on the resources of the server. SMF is the next generation of forum software – and best of all it is and will always remain completely free! “
What makes you think that they will let you in club? If I have choice between you and 49er you get the blackball.
At least Miner knows and admits what he is. He isn’t some confused, nonbinary voter like enuf.
Enuf doesn’t seem to be able to articulate why Trump is the domestic eneny. He just has a feels.
I’ve read the arguments between enuf & Debbie W.
I think Debbie W. Has won every one of them that I’ve read…
just stirring the pot here…😎
Your and ‘Goof…PR’s’ sad attempts to get Debbie W. yo waddle into the sack by sticking up for her will be fruitless, resulting in even more sexual frustration. Although by now both of you betas are used to that…
Who’s the widdle troll? What a good little troll you are! Yes you are!
Now go get your shine-box and shut the fuck up.
Dance, troll. I order you to respond… 🙂
I think there’s 2(3?)versions of enuf. The identifying color changes. Syntax,sentence structure and what passes for thought. All trolls…
Well, if two morons argue, by definition the winner will be a moron. That one moron wins more frequently? I guess they are SLIGHTLY less a moron. But still a moron.
if these anti-2A assholes ever had an Original Idea and a cold drink of water at the same time, it would kill ’em dead.
The billions-funded ANTI-2A INDUSTRY uses Alinsky Rules For Radicals to attack us and attack our values. Their main tactic is to lie, Lie, LIE. And they get away with it because they know that the mainstream media is not only anti-gun too but the Enemedia is also too lazy to do any fact-checking for themselves, failing in their role as “journalists/ reporters”. Media malpractice on a daily basis.
I’m sorry. The UN is not the arbiter of what are human aka. natural rights. Self defense, in that it directly relates to the right to life, is.
“…using singular acts of [police] violence… to suggest a population-level threat, [BLM and other anti-police organizations] has been able to seize on fear and insecurities across the United States.”
There – fixed it for ya.
Noticed how many progressives are South Asian?
Are they after payback for the colonial era?
Depends on what kind of South Asian. Hindus and Sikhs tend to be on the conservative side.
Going through the authors footnotes for their little screed I noticed that a couple of the reference “FACTS” came from works they had authored and published.
basically telling us:
Of course it has to be true, it’s right there in black and white for you to read. I aught to know it’s true, because I wrote it.
Well, I guess you can’t argue against facts like that can you? /sarc
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