If your social media environment includes friends and family who aren’t necessarily big supporters of the Second Amendment, eventually someone in your Circles/Friends List will say something about guns that absolutely drives you crazy. I’ve had a lot of friends and relatives who weren’t lucky enough to grow up as I did. Few of these folk own guns, and some of them would prefer very strict regulation of firearm ownership and use. I don’t think it’s my duty to constantly debate them, although I like to think I’ve softened some of their opinions after taking them shooting . . .
But I recently reached the breaking point with one Facebook friend. He’d been my younger brothers’ best friend for a few years in the early 1980s, and it was fun to hear about his adult life after he’d moved to New Zealand.
He’d turned into an extreme ‘progressive liberal’ in the last thirty years, falling somewhere on the statist/collectivist spectrum between Rachel Maddow and Thom Hartmann. And sprinkle in a penchant for conspiracy theories about corporations and conservatives and anyone with any religious beliefs whatsoever.
He occasionally turned his ire toward guns and violence in America, and vented his Kiwi spleen on American gun owners in particular. I politely offered him a different perspective, supported by current and historical facts, to which he never directly responded.
Listening to opposing viewpoints is the price of free speech, I’ve always thought, and I gradually disengaged from his anti-gun rants. He’s lived overseas for many years, and it was a bit surprising to me that his anti-2A opinions were so violently expressed.
He has chosen to live in New Zealand, an island nation with none of the geographic, ethnic, or historical challenges that America faces. New Zealand is largely homogeneous, with only one populous non-English ethnic group. Thousands of miles of open ocean mean there is very little illegal immigration to deal with. New Zealand doesn’t have the fiscal challenges we do, because it hasn’t been militarily and financially responsible for the security of Western Europe for the last 69 years.
In a nutshell, American domestic politics have no impact on his life in New Zealand, and he forfeited his right to complain about them when he moved there. I don’t have any more regard for his opinion about the Second Amendment than a Japanese salaryman should have for my opinion about Emperor Akhito’s hairstyle or the dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party.
So I ignored his rants. But when he cut loose with an invective-filled diatribe about the bloody hands and hate-filled hearts of every single American who believes in the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms (ending with the words ‘YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!’ in all-caps) I had enough.
How many times should I be expected to tolerate being called a bigot, moron, second-hand murderer and ‘ASSHOLE’? I was tired of hearing some variation of “present company excepted” when I politely voiced a different viewpoint, so I left just a single comment.
I’m sorry you feel that way. You won’t be hearing from me again.
Blocked, deleted, and un-friended. Hasta la vista, buddy.
Have you ever dropped someone from your social media because of guns? And if you have, what was the anti-gun straw that broke your camel’s back? . . .
Yep.
I never have but I’ve certainly had friends drop me because of my political/social beliefs.
Like.
this & same.
hear, hear,
I have a machine gun for a banner on my facebook account. Usually a clue I might be a supporter. Most don’t go away mad, they just go away.
same
This. I never drop a friend from Facebook because of their hate-filled diatribes about my gun hobby, my political opinions or my penchant for bad puns.
I have been dropped by a dozen or so lefties for daring to talk back in their comment fields. Some people just need the shields to be up all the time.
Uh….. YEAH.
I have.
Yes, plus there were plenty that unfriended me during the 2012 election year too.
ditto on the 2012 election – Black Conservatives weren’t too popular and now they are sending me friend notices again . . . . f**k ’em. You get me with all of the good and the bad, agree or not. that is the price to pay in a polite society unless the attacks turn personal or threatening
“Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.” – William F. Buckley, Jr.
This just applies over and over and over….
Ugh. Yeah, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have way too many of those “fair-weather friends”, the ones who are around when everything is great and dandy, but disappear suddenly when things get even mildly rough. I’ve deleted some of those, but haven’t reached a breaking point on the gun issue yet.
again same, i like other peoples views, they help me understand their side, apperantly some people dont wanna to hear about my side
No.
The state of someone’s status on Facebook is meaningless to the issue at hand.
Someone who passionately despises the Constitution will not be swayed by a pithy wall post.When you win the debate, the other party will simply delete the thread and go about life as usual.
Ask me how I know.
Never had a Facebook account. Though I have had acquaintances and co-workers from that bastard state in which I used to live chew me out and write me off after discovering my orientation. Does that count?
Nope, although I have unfollowed a few due to constant posts I found distasteful. However, I’m pretty sure I’ve been unfriended due to some of my fb likes (which includes several gun rights groups and firearm manufacturers).
No, but in that case I would. I’m willing to have a rational discussion, even with someone who is incapable of using logic, but an argument of “neener neener” and name calling isn’t going to happen.
I spend very little time on Facebook, but yeah, I have. A high school history teacher that I really liked back then, and so I added him to my list when I joined Facebook way back when. His posts were usually thoughtful and insightful, even if I didn’t always agree. I knew he was anti-gun. But his posts took on a whole new tone after Newtown, and after a while I just de-friended him because I was sick of it. He started regurgitating talking points that I knew to be false, which was unusual for him; he usually did his research. I knew then that his emotions had gotten the better of his intellect, and it was only going to spiral from there.
I didn’t say anything when I did it, only because unlike Chris’s example, I had not ever engaged him in debate on the issue, because I don’t argue on Facebook (only here). He’s got several hundred friends, and I’m sure he doesn’t even realize I’m gone.
Oh, I just remembered! I didn’t de-friend him over his Newtown commentary. I managed to make it through that. I de-friended him over his commentary in the wake of the Zimmerman verdict. He had made a few comments here and there during the trial that made me know we didn’t see things the same way, but when the verdict came down the floodgates opened, and it was “homicidal maniac” this and “fallen angel” that, and I just couldn’t take it.
I’ve had a few friends leave because of my political beliefs.
It’s sad because I really did enjoy their company. They were nice people and we got along otherwise, but they just couldn’t get over the fact that I wasn’t a liberal. I was disappointed to see them walk out of my life, but I suppose that’s the way it goes.
Just as a note: These are people I knew in real life–I don’t screw around with Facebook or any other social media.
No, because I don’t use social media of any kind (anonymous internet posts such as this aside).
I’m with Hal, I don’t do “Facespace” or “Mybook” or any other social media. This blog is about the only internet “thing” I participate in, because it interests me. I can’t be bothered with people posting that the ham sandwich they had today was so much better than the one they had yesterday, or pester me for crap for some Facebook game they are playing. I have “unfriended” a couple of folks in real life becuase of their need to force their beliefs on me. After all, they were so much smarter tham me and felt the need to show me that my attitude about the Constitution, religion, economics, etc was so wrong, and that the nanny state was the way to go blah, blah blah…..
I am also with Hal. Not doing FB or other social media- did one thing at a niece’s request so she could enter some contest but since dropped that account. So I haven’t ‘dropped’ any friends on FB because of guns. Don’t waste my time letting them get that close. I’ve dropped them in ‘real life’ over the same, and more. I refuse to associate with communists, liberals and democrats, want nothing to do with either, and have dropped ‘girl friends’ for the same reasons. I won’t date anyone who thinks I should leave my guns home when we go out so she can ‘feel’ safe. Debate them? hardly. I’ve never met a serious anti-gunner who changed their mind because facts got in the way.
I fall into this group as well. I refused to allow Zuckerberg and his minions claim ownership of my posts and photos while actively selling my personal information to whomever will buy. Never had an account, never will. Couldn’t convince the kids, though. I don’t have any clue as to the plethora of other sites. This is my kind of social media site, and it, fortunately, doesn’t allow “unfriending” or blocking.
I’d be interested in a TTAG article displaying the comments and posts this person made.
Yes and it doesn’t take much. If somebody isn’t open to debate on pretty much any issue I will block on unfriend quite quickly.
I just use the tools on FB to block them from my newsfeed, generally… I mark them as spam\annoying.
Dis raht heeya. ^^^
I haven’t dropped anyone as a friend, but I do have a “restricted friends” list, to which I don’t post things I suspect likely to provoke an argument (ie, anything pro-gun, pro-hunting, pro-liberty, etc…)
Two years ago I unfriended everyone and closed down my account. The negatives outweighed the positives.
It’s kind of ironic that your unfriended friend lives in NZ. It is the most gun friendly place in the Anglosphere outside of the US.
Canada?
Facebook is so passé.
Only one. I am a freelance writer and he is the editor of a business magazine that I have written for, Many of my friends (this one included) hate guns, conservatives, Christians, business owners and anything American, but when this fellow derided every NRA member with insulting, personal and offensive language, I decided my day was sunnier without him.
I do not debate gun politics on Facebook threads. Maybe once or twice I have sent someone a direct message responding to a question or offering data. Much more civil that way.
Yes. Several things will get you banned by me.
Stance on gun rights.
Constant religious posts(any religion including Atheism).
Repetitive pro-Obama/party line B.S.
People who constantly propagate ludicrously false memes without checking.
Repetitive game requests.
Disrespect of others or the military.
I would add legalization of cannabis….
I REALLY don’t care one way or another. It’s a non-issue for me. But I have better things to do than wade through 100+ posts per day from a friend that never finished ANYTHING she ever started about how she’s starting a legalize marijuana movement…..
I had to unfriend almost every non-immediate family member. I’m the oldest of 16 cousins and my aunts confronted me about being worried that I would send the wrong message to the younger cousins with pictures from the shooting range on Facebook.
All my Liberal friends like guns. Ironically, they are all gay too. At the very least they’re not going to be voting Democrat anymore.
I wouldn’t say you dropped him because of guns, you dropped him because he was an intolerable ass. Gun policy just happened to be one topic that brought that out.
I don’t know if I have been dropped by anyone on Facebook and I’ve only dropped people that send me excessive invites to things I don’t care about. Generally liberals only accept those in the tribe, but I don’t really give off too many political or religious cues to get yelled at, although I don’t constantly complain about money problems (since I don’t have them), so that might be a cue I’m not a liberal in my age range.
So glad you asked. I WAS a Democrat , I worked very hard from ice and snow to 100 degrees knocking on doors and talking to people in the streets. Well, long and short the community turned it’s back on me, I can’t be trusted. I am a gun owner. My husband and I worked hard. I said to their lies, (while we are back in the dark age’s why don’t we also ad that all gays are child molesters and have HIV). I choose my 2 A rights who has not turned it’s back on me.
Pretty close. A long time friend of mine, who was dating my wife’s cousin and introduced us, had been upset over the Trayvon Martin thing for a long time. Then he made a long ranting post on his FB when the M-T UBC bill failed, and I responded.
Over the course of a couple hours going back and forth, he devolved to telling me that I “supported child murderers,” and all sorts of other bs. Couldn’t believe that someone who I thought was a good friend, was attacking me and insulting me for disagreeing with him on something like gun laws – which when he realized he had no clue about, started telling me “I guess you think you’re some kind of lawyer now,” etc, as if knowing the law is only the domain of attorneys.
Haven’t talked to him since, in FB or in person. Not my intent – he holds grudges and avoids people, and he’s 32 years old and still lives with mom.
“he’s 32 years old and still lives with mom”
Understood.
in the basement, I bet
it would be funny if it weren’t true. in the basement, next to the garage. comes and goes out the garage door.
dropped by plenty of people for being pro-gun, conservative, pro-military, pro-fiscal responsibility, etc. I don’t even notice when they leave, but the funny thing is, these panty-twisters keep coming back and trying to re-friend me. . . . I guess they miss the controversy.
I wouldn’t read even that much into it, there are a lot of people that judge their worth by social media friend count….
“You have 0 friends…”
I have taken this to its logical conclusion: adding everyone is the ONLY thing I do on Facebook. They put me on probation every now and then…
I have but not for this reason, in fact, i still consider him a friend. Every time he responded to an absolute idiot on the web i got a copy of the drivel in my feed. The hate and rancor was extreme and I eventually blocked him to avoid the idiots he wouldnt stop talking with. Then again, he is a extreme drama queen. He seems to get a boost from the back and forth with these people (I would put their mental acuity on par with a brain damaged mule).
Since I have never “friended” an idiot, I have none to un-friend. And as I get older, my definition of “idiot” has become more inclusive, the the extent that my tolerance level for turdbrains is now zero.
HAH! I’m 24, and have already reached that most delightful of tolerances.
Yup. Booted friends and been booted.
Im friends with some really ignorant bleeding heart liberals. They hop on an go with every anti gun bullshit statistic and study and will not be swayed, facts be damned.
Im younger (28) and its sad how many of my generation dont give two shits about our freedoms. They are all about “hope and change”
Its sickening.
I don’t use “social media”, unless you count telephones and e-mail. I have one dear friend who hates guns, but her favorite brother is a hunter, long-range rifle shooter, competitive action pistol guy, builds his own muzzle loaders, and he and his wife both have CCW, and carry every day. My friend has learned to live and let live.
Facebook? You mean that data collection/tracking service the govt funded and used that frontman Zuckerberg to make trendy and acceptable?
I anger dropped some people for being jerks like that before.
They were famliy so I re-friended, but I definitely unfollowed their feed. Can’t take the ignorant hate filled hypocrisy.
Yep, when he turned to nothing but trolling…he wasn’t interested in discussing/debating anything on a civil level, and I got tired of trying to get him to do so, so….buh-bye.
I’m sure some have “unfriended” me on FB because of my involvement in 2A and shooting sports. Fine by me, they can do that. I’ve also made some headway with people that were anti-gun, by having a rational discussion with them. This doesn’t work all the time, but it has convinced some stalwart opponents. I haven’t had to block or drop someone because of their views or opinions. I actually find it more fulfilling to counter their ignorance and bigotry with kindness and a smile.
I’ve considered it, but I’ve never done it. I’ve always ended up deciding that engaging them was the better choice for me.
Yeah, I’ve had people un-freind me because of my pro 2a stance. But I come from the county side so most of my friends have been around firearms.
yep. that was back when the “Unfollow/unsubscribe” feature wasn’t implemented yet. i also had a few people unfriend me because they think i’m a massive warfreak with all the insightful gun-related stuff i occasionally post.
now, i just unfollow/unsubscribe whenever some idiot posts irritating stuff and it floods my newsfeed.
Yes. I had a Facebook friend who routinely posted his opinions on why the Second Amendment should be repealed. It was the same bag of tricks that the disarmament organizations use unendingly.
Most of his friends were gun prohibitionists, so every time he made an anti-gun post, they all jumped in like a gang initiation. After Newtown, one of them said that he would gleefully join jack-booted government thugs who went door to door and stomped gun owners’ faces to the ground. Because gun owners are inherently violent (as opposed to…him, I guess).
Eventually, I’d had enough. Anyone who would vote against my civil rights is no friend. And since Facebook is just a toy, there’s no need to stay connected to anyone who’s annoying.
Anyone who trashes me or my point-of-view in a disrespectful way on social media is no longer my friend. If you couldn’t walk up and tell me the same thing to my face, you shouldn’t be hiding behind the veil of a computer screen. There is a way to have an intelligent and respectful disagreement. As much as it is their right to be a complete jerk, it is mine to no longer associate with them. I have no shortage of friends, some new, that are awesome.
I don’t have a Facebook page so to answer your question, no, but I was born in New Zealand and when I first found out about America’s Second Amendment rights it was my dream to live here. Now I’m a US citizen and wouldn’t give it up for the world.
Someone who gets it!
Well, then, a belated welcome to you!
No, but around election time I get deleted myself.
Had a girl I knew from school absolutely riding Obama’s nuts.
“Mitt Romney does THIS! And THAT! HE IS SATAN. OBAMA LET ME SMELL YOU FARTS I LOVE YOUUUUUUU.” It was that bad.
My response to all of here posts was : “They’re both crooks. All of them are.” lol. Deleted.
No, I do not unfriend. It is their butthurt, it is their problem. I will engage in discussion (which is good and healthy), and I’ll fisk the heck out of anyone spouting anti-gun. I have no compassion for ‘butters’ and I have no pity for marionettes. If they don’t like it, they can unfriend me. As long as they are on my friends list, they are getting me – without a filter. They can stew and be steamed all they want. Everyone that I have on my friend’s list has an open invitation to come out shooting with my friends and/or just me.
Since Newton, I have had 40 “friends” drop me. They were all old friends from college that turned into acquaintances. They were all ultra liberal and threw out the standard Obamanisoms. I did delete 1 friend, a decent guy, who stated that civilians should own AR-15s. We were both military at that time and that enraged me.
“I did delete 1 friend, a decent guy, who stated that civilians should own AR-15s. We were both military at that time and that enraged me.”
Is that a typo, or were you literally enraged at the notion that civilians own AR-15s?
Nope, but I have been unfriended because of guns…
Yep. Been there done that. Family included. No more time for stupid ignorant low information morons that as far as im concerned > fine if they want to walk around as victims in waiting – but dont bleat to me your defenseless strategy for self preservation. Cold dead hands baybee!
Booted and been booted. Have since retreated into “lurker” mode on FB — the only people there are childhood friends who live in NYC or LA. They don’t “get it”.
To be fair — when I moved to VT — I didn’t “get it” either. However, as a Lifelong Libertarian, I was never in the ANTI camp. But it took a good long while for me to get used to the idea that I could buy guns legally and even carry them with me (!)
Grateful for the VT Constitution.
Ain’t constitutional carry great?
I’d be interested in living in NY one day….. Albeit, not until I’m in law enforcement and allowed to carry on a regular basis for that.
I was going to say how I think it’s important to engage (politely) with folks who disagree with you lest you find yourself surrounded by a filter bubble but it sounds like this person is firmly w/in their own filter bubble and not worth talking to.
With that said I’ve never unfriended someone over a gun control rant.
Yes. The very same day as Newtown. I was pretty bummed out that day because of what happened. And then a ‘friend’ posted… “Anybody who believes in 2A has blood on their hands”. I took it very personally and … BLOCK.
I always take up the argument. Probably not the best strategy in all scenarios, but I consider it to be a sort of practice.
However much I may try, you’re not going to change anybody’s mind on facebook. Twice I’ve jumped in on a 2A debate. once I walked away with an open minded guy rethinking his approach to curbing violence in the country, and the second, water off a ducks back, despite painstakingly refuting arguments and providing facts.
Overall, I’d say that sounds like a success story. If we keep spreading the truth maybe we’ll win over enough to turn the tide…
I’m sure others have said it, but I don’t discuss my political views on social media. I vote, that’s frustrating enough.
Wow
I remember dropping one or two people for shitting up my newsfeed with excessive shares or incomprehensible crossposts from Twitter but not for politically offensive stuff. I either ignore that or filter it out.
It’s hard to track most Facebook activity when you have more than a few dozen friends on it and Facebook’s algorithm filters out so much of it from your feed, so I’m not sure if I’ve lost anyone over the occasional like and share from gun rights groups or updates of my visits to the range. Very few people even know I own weapons anyway.
It’s family that gives me grief though. My younger brother lives in Brooklyn, hates guns, and implied I was racist for agreeing with the Zimmerman verdict. At least I’m not sure he knows his brother and mother own guns. Dad’s a hoplophobe, worries about my safety around guns, and my extended family, which tends conservative, still somehow fears firearms.
During the last presidential election I had several “friends” who posted links to and quotes from left wing sites that described people like me in the most disgusting, demeaning, and bigoted terms; and they wound up on my Face Book page. I “de friended” them. I figured that if they agreed with that point of view, why would they want to have me for a “friend”?
I’m just tired of turning the other cheek to liberals, who are the real bigoted, intolerant, and hate filled people in this country.
Debating people on Facebook is generally pointless, because 99% of the time they have no idea what the hell they’re talking about.
Better to just unfriend them and move on.
No, but I put one on ignore for awhile after Sandy Hook. He was just insufferably stupid about it and the whole subject changed our friendship I think. I don’t drop people I’ve friended, especially old friends I’ve known since before the internet much less Facebook over a difference of opinion. If they choose to drop me that’s fine.
Yes.
I never had to unfriend any one, for any reason. Pretty much every one I know is either pro 2A or at the very least neutral enough that they don’t post anti 2A things. I have actually been surprised to see some people that I expected to be more anti 2A turned out to be enjoy firearms. (in my mind a person from NJ, young, and is a woman, I assume they would be anti 2A)
Never done FB and don’t figure to start. Your ex pat friend in NZ sounds pretty much a poster child for self hatred. Guys like him and mikeybnumbers are angry for being born American. They can’t wait to leave here and I’m willing to bet those around him in NZ wishes he would just shut up and go away. Every conversation this guy has devolves into a rant about America. As a nation we’re better off without their kind and you’re better off without him also.
What is this thing called Facebook ?
I say the right should put in an ad.
My Facebook profile has our 4 founding fathers that says: our original Homeland Secruity established in 1776
“The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” they have two AR15’s AK47 and a SAW M249, they haven’t unfriend me yet, but I know some are offended because they don’t chat with me as much, but that’s ok I still have my guns
How do I get that?
Nope, but I did have a good conversation with a friend who pretty much said I was selfish to not want AWB and mag caps because it “could” save lives. We eventually agreed to disagree but it never really got nasty. I rarely post on facebook and when I do, it is usually a Billy Johnson or Colion Noir video.
Oh and for some entertaining videos from NZ, check out Kiwi Ted Ferny on youtube. His collection is awesome!
I unfreinded everyone and closed down my Facebag account long ago, I find it’s just easier to hate everyone equally…
If my only interaction with them is via FB, they most likely weren’t my “friend” anyways.
I’d rather push the other kind of button and have them un-friend me
Rarely but it’s happened a couple times when people got personally nasty (i.e calling gun owners crazy or crap like that).
I had three unfriend me after the Zimmerman verdict. Don’t care.
Never unfriended anyone. I have been unfriended by at least one person who, post-Newtown, started going on ridiculous rants about guns. Every time he paused to take a breath, I’d respond politely by telling him how he was mistaken, explaining why what he thought about {guns/2nd amendment/assault weapons/spree killings/etc.} was untrue, and helpfully providing links to sites where he could read peer-reviewed papers, CDC studies, founding fathers documents and correspondence, etc. After a few days of this, with him getting madder and madder, (“BUT IT’S ONLY THESE ASSAULT WEAPONS THAT ARE USED TO KILL CHILDREN!!!” “Sorry, but it’s not true. See this list of school killings where people have used other guns, knives, homemade flamethrowers…” “AAAAARGHTSVDESFHLQIX!!!!”) he finally admitted that he’d lost the argument by personally attacking me and my ancestry, and deleted me. Remember, once someone finally reaches what I like to call the “your mom’s a whore” stage of an argument, that means you win.
Seriously, though, there are some times I have to remember that many of my FB friends are also ACTUAL friends of mine, and I’ve learned to pick my battles. If you can educate your friends, great, but some just don’t want to know. At that point you have to decide if your friendship with whoever is worth their faults.
I’m watching Dog Soldier on the Sportsman Channel eating a swine and cheese sammich petting my cat everybody enjoyed themselves today I’m going to take a little nap ski
Nope, never have. Not that I wouldn’t, mind you, just that I don’t do “social media.”
I deleted my entire FB account because of stupid family liberal @ssholes and their inability to respect anyone’s opinion that differs from their own. Funny how they tout they are the “tolerant” party. My @ss.
If you want to see the very model of tolerance, go to the “Being Liberal” FB page…. (snicker).
It can be fun injecting some common sense comments where there is so little to be found.
Yup…My aunt has been kicked off my Facebook. So have some high school chums that are unable to argue the points they cling to so fervently. It just gets to the point where enough is enough…
All in all….Facebook is a great tool for exposing you to Tools.
Or who the real “tools” in your life are?
that’s why I never have messed with that the Facebook and Twitter. I like my guns and I like my constitutional freedoms tell those progressive liberals to back the app off! their freedoms are just important as ours as long as you are a law abiding citizen you should be able to do whatever that makes you happy end of story!
I’m finding the opposite with many of my Facebook friends. People are showing me they have an interest in shooting and our rights, people I never suspected felt that way when we were younger. I’ve also met a lot of new people through certain shooting related groups.
Someone found the pitch/font button…..?
What are you talking about?
I wish that I knew. I’d like to bold, underline or italicize once in a while, like some here do, but I have no clue how. I guess that’s what I get for being an old fart late to the game.
OK, that I can help you with. I still have no idea who/what 5Spot was referring to.
Italics is <em>italic</em>
Bold is <strong>bold</strong>
Strikethrough is <del>
strikethrough</del>There is a code to underline, but it’s best not used because in some themes links are underlined, and then that just gets confusing.
Links can be simply pasted into the comment box and they’ll go live (http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2014/02/chris-dumm/question-day-ever-un-friended-someone-guns/), though be aware that 3 or more links in any single comment will cause your comment to go to moderation.
YouTube videos can be linked by simply pasting in the link, as well, but it would be greatly helpful if you would cut the http:// off the front. So instead of pasting in https://www. you would paste in just www. This will cause it to simply be a hotlink like this – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be-7ZUkbUhI – instead of an embed like below, because embeds break some mobile browsers for some reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be-7ZUkbUhI
In the main article. The pitch, or font height, changed mid article a few times w/o reason. That’s all.
Ah, I see. Yeah, that happens sometimes when articles are composed elsewhere (like in Word) and then copied over. Looks like it’s fixed now.
Since you got this blogging insertion/editing thing down some, how do I find my previous posts quickly to continue to be part of the discussion?
Right now I try to remember the location of the scrolly bar and who I posted after.
Easier method??
The easiest way is by way of email subscription. Checking that little box below the comment box that says “Notify me of follow-up comments by email.” You will get a confirmation email that you have to click before the emails will start coming. Be aware that you will get an email for every comment that is published to that particular post, not just replies to you personally. Each email you receive will contain both an Unsubscribe link for that particular post (in case you get overwhelmed or just have had enough), as well as a Reply button that will let you reply directly to that particular comment.
If you choose not to do that, but you’re already back on that page, you can always hit Ctrl-F to pull up a Find box in your browser, and type in your own name to find your previous comments.
Don’t have a Facebook account but have unfriended in the real world , just don’t have anything for folks that think they know what’s best for everyone , but will not listen to someone else’s viewpoint . Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.
I’ve turned not responding into an exercise in self discipline.
I’m successful. Mostly.
I try to educate whenever possible. No unfriending yet.
It also helps when your shooting profile pics are scattered together with your Cards Against Humanity and Halloween crossdress party photos.
Sorta makes you look like a randomly well rounded individual.
depends. some people would see the cross-dressing photos and just label you as “disturbed”, due to the fact that you also own guns.
Couldn’t tell you. I don’t use social media.
I know it’s some sort of web site where folks post about going shopping and put up photos of the cats ,but never really grabbed my interest .
So no.
My answer is yes, and I’ve got a doozy for you all! My music teacher from High School (former Facebook friend) is anti-gun. He posted several misleading falsehoods on his page – one of which was decrying the NRA for promoting a “violent videogame” after Sandy Hook. I explained that the video game consisted of shooting paper targets and asked him to please get his facts straight ot avoid posting falsehoods in the future. His response: “I will not comply!”
The incident that got me un-friended came a few days later. He posted an update where he stated that “Gun hoarders should be forced to wear a badge on their chests so we can all know who they are”. Keep in mind, this man is not only a retired educator, but he is also Gay and African-American. I was stunned, and my response was that as an educator, he ought to know why what he said was horribly wrong and inappropriate. And all of a sudden, I was un-friended.
Let’s be clear here – a man who has lived his whole life as a member of not one, but TWO of the most heavily persecuted groups in America advocated using a tactic that has most recently been applied by Hitler. Hitler made the Jews where a badge shaped like the star of David, and this former teacher was so ignorant that he suggested that gun owners should be forced to wear an identifying badge on their chests.
I am not normally one for hyperbole, but be aware: The anti-gunner mentality can sink to some unbelievable lows. I continue to be appalled by this kind of behavior.
you didn’t even need to mention the star of david, because there was a nazi symbol that would’ve hit more close to home: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle
A lot of gun owners do wear badges on their chest. Sometimes, they’re the most dangerous kind of gun owners.
kapos
No, but I’ve never had someone call me a name like that. If I gave it some thought my response would be something like, “I don’t mind hearing your opinions on any given number of subjects but I won’t listen to insults. Part of being on social media should include being sociable. I am unfriending you because you have called me and others like me a _________. Do not bother sending a friend request until you’re ready to behave in a more civil manner.”
Or I might just unfriend them without notification like it appears others have done me…. I don’t think I’ve ever used the term “libtard” on Facebook….
I never use the term “libtard”. It’s an insult to the mentally handicapped, and gives way too much credit for being intelligent to liberals.
Yes, by the tens.
No, but I have had the reverse done to me, and I have muted my brother’s feed (I no longer see it).
I always return fire so to speak (the situation with my brother was in the interests of domestic tranquility at Thanksgiving, etc).
Yes, after Newtown. When a couple of “friends” started publicly blaming the NRA for the attack, they had to go. I can’t deal with that level of the Stupid.
meh. facebook. haven’t logged on for a couple of years now.
a facebook friend isn’t a real friend anyway.
you know, many of us move from the places we grew up, worked, or went to school, and the easiest way to keep in touch with those people is – you guessed it.
Why would you want to stay in touch with people you never see any more?
But you are indeed right. My kids keep in touch with their grandmother, aunts, cousins and second cousins through facebook. Which can be kind of weird–for example, my brother keeps tabs on his niece and nephew even though he and I are not on speaking terms, and he has never spent more than a few hours here or there with either of them over the last 25 years.
Yes…and in fact, lost what used to be a “good friend” over the subject.
I’ve found several “friends” to ultimately be, selective-rights-supporting, liberal ball hugging, close-minded fear mongers…that I no longer wished to associate myself with.
Oh well, call me a crazy gun nut. Just don’t think you can lump me in with people who really are crazy, and don’t think you can go after my guns. I’m a law abiding, kind person and I expect you let me do my thing with my rights…as you expect the same.
I have been unfriended several times because of my position on abortion, 2nd Amendment, and my positions on faith.
I have never unfriended anyone due to their anti 2A rhetoric but I have been unfriended for my views. Mine was by a person whom I had known for 10 years, who while not a close friend, was someone I considered more that just an acquaintance. She posted an anti-gun tirade last spring in response to the local firefighters raffling an AR to raise money. She used every anti-gun talking point and cliche in the book from male member size to “for the children”. I calmly replied to her with an honest question of how can you say this and that when the facts say otherwise and then included links to factual data (like the FBI uniform crime report) that supported my counter statements. She then deleted my post and went on a tirade (in an email to me and a post on her page) about how I never posted anything but but lies and hateful stuff on my facebook page and therefore she was unfriending me. While I disagree with the President’s policies, I have never posted anything personally disparaging about him only facts about why I disagree with specific policies, therefore I challenged her to point out any specific post that was “hateful”. This only resulted in more name calling on her side. I personally value having friends who don’t always agree with me because their arguments make me evaluate what I believe but I guess if your arguments are based on only emotion, having others disagree with you is too emotional (or something like that)
I haven’t, but people have unfriended me because of them. He lived in Chicago, and his head was up his ass anyway.
It was right after the Newtown shooting, I told him that, as a compromise, I would never use my guns to protect him or anyone that thinks like him. It was a nice way for me to say “FOAD”. LIfe has been good since!
Unfriending people feels great after a few cocktails.
I unfriended exactly two people in the last five years. Both over 2A issues. Out of my 315 FB “friends,” only about 60 have me in their newsfeeds at this point. I only have about 20 of them in MY newsfeed. Seems a bit useless. I am preaching to the choir at this point.
Yes, all of them. I’m 31 years old with a family, home and am financially self-sufficient. I don’t share political beliefs with most people in my generation. So I deleted my FB account several years ago because I grew weary of their constant liberalism and snide remarks about my beliefs. You can’t change a person’s beliefs, they have to change themselves through life experience. It’s easy to forget that your FB friend used to be a human friend. As such, when a person has been dehumanized its easy to treat them like S. FB was causing me too much frustration, inciting too many rants, and making me shake my head with disbelief, so I deleted it. Now I read TTAG. Better?
Nope. I would have to use social media first.
No, though I definitely will push back if a simple “I support the 2nd Ammendment” post is referred to as ‘tragically immature.” But my general policy is to let the other person defriend me if they must. I figure, if I can sit through their pro Peta posts and not comment on them the least they could do is refrain from commenting on my rare pro gun posts, and responding negatively to sentiments I am not mentioning in that post.
I leave the defriending to them, if they feel they must.
EDIT: I just checked and he did.
I haven’t. We all know the folks that love re-posting other peeps’ anti-gun posts, cartoons, articles…Rather, I privately message/ask when they plan to visit H’town next. When they ask why, I let them know I want to take them out to a shooting range for fun. So far, batting a thousand for positive responses.
Strangely enough, all of my liberal friends on Facebook have been more-or-less supremely respectful of my views on the right to keep and bear arms. I think it’s primarily because I am also supremely respectful of their decision not to keep and bear arms, which is fine by me.
So, no, I’ve never done that nor had it happen to me.
I guess I’m just lucky that way.
facebook/ zimmerman freed me of one horrible liberal turd
Don’t do social media, only on here because of I-594 article. LIKE this site.
I have a Facebook page in a false name (which is against Facebook rules but they haven’t caught me thus far) that I only use to access the pages of some family members. Otherwise, I do not at all see the appeal of social media sites like Facebook.
Yes, I unfriended a person whom I had done a great deal for over the years. She was an unrepentant SF liberal; I tried to avoid political issues, since in many other areas our interests were amazingly attuned. One of her friends started in on the 2nd Amendment one day and I chimed in, using facts and logic, no invective. The abuse rained down on me from all her facebook pals; one of them called me ‘obsessed with guns”. She never came to my defence, never said a word other than responding to my Diane Feinstein quote about “turn them in, Mr. and Mrs. America” with a comment about cheering her on. I am a former volunteer firefighter, USCG boarding officer, former volunteer police department member and chief, town constable, town fire warden (you get the idea…). And here was some twit that likely had never done anything for her country more than pay the minimum taxes due calling me obsessed. Goodbye, over and out. Done…
I no longer use Facebook, or any other social media sites.
The reason is I actually lost a job over it. I was working for a large East coast based financial company and I had went to Vegas. While in Vegas I rented a M249 SAW and posted the picture of me shooting said gun as my FB profile pic. Well, one coworker of mine saw the pic and went to HR. I had recently been one of a few passed over for a coveted position and she put that together with the pic and my pro gun stance and came up with the notion that I was going to shoot up the place. HR called me in and told me I had 2 options, take the generous severance they offered me, or go on double secret probation where a single tardy or negative customer review (every interaction had a voluntary customer survey sent out afterwards) would have meant my termination. They had no legal grounds to terminate me, and told me so, but they had a company policy that forbid even having a firearm in your vehicle on company property. I saw the writing on the wall and I took the 5 figure severance package aka hush money, and never looked back. That same week I deleted my FB account. To quoth the raven, nevermore!!
no legal grounds is correct. should’ve pulled a george costanza and just moved into the office.
I usually ignore stupid political rants on Facebook. It’s Facebook after all. I did reprimand someone for posting anti-vaccination and anti-cardiac stent crap once, since that was just too socially irresponsible to tolerate.
nope. probably because i have never friended someone. i don’t do social media because i don’t want my info to become public to all.
I actually quit facebook because of this. It was just too frustrating.
Unfriended my stepmother after she shared something from MDA. I’ve also blocked quite a few friends of friends because I didn’t like seeing their crap show up in other peoples’ posts but I can’t remember if it was because of guns or not.
Chris, two things buddy.
1. After much study I have come to realize that I don’t necessarily have a Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms. But what I do have is a Pre-Constitutional, God-given Right to Life and by inference and God-given Right to Protect My Life with whatever means necessary. Before the Constitution was created the Colonialist STILL had the Right to protect their own lives. You do not have the Right to Keep and Bears by any government edict. Governments are instituted to Protect our Inalienable Rights. If they don’t, the People still have the Right to alter or abolish their government.
2. ANYONE WHO SAYS THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTECT YOUR OWN LIFE IS YOUR ENEMY! Do not be friends, much less, Facebook Friends who say you don’t. MY RIGHT TO DEFEND MY LIFE, TRUMPS THEIR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH.
Been unfriended by friends(2), and family(1) over 2A support.
No regrets.
I haven’t unfriended anyone, but I have been unfriended for the opposite reason, being too pro-gun. I didn’t shed any tears over the loss, and my blood pressure has never been better.
Have your friend read this:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Rifle-on-the-Wall-A-L-by-Jim-Kavanagh-130131-374.html
Maybe they will open their eyes and have a look around.
You can always tell a liberal (but you can’t tell them much)
I’ve never dropped anyone on Facebook for their views but have had a couple of them drop me because I did not “see it their way”. That was after they became offened by my views and made it personal. I was first berated, called stupid and an idiot before they “unfriended” me. I was really pissed for a few days. I now see that their “open minded-ness” only applies when you agree with them! One actually played the “race card” accusing me of being raciset becasue I did not agree with his views. So sad that these folks actuallty run the world (he retired from a federal job) so his pension comes from my tax dollars
I had to block someone on email, but not because they were anti gun, quite the opposite. A friend of mine’s younger brother, who is a religious fanatic (to put it mildly)began sending me a flood of bizarre, basically insane ranting messages, almost all of them full of attachments, mostly videos that could have been more sensibly sent as links. At least 50% of the stuff was religious stuff, and the other half was the usual birther/UN/NWO stuff, with a dose of “Fema Car” insanity (Search it on youtube). I told him to stop, and it just made it worse. He began sending me stuff on every crackpot mailing list, and I finally had enough and had to start bouncing his messages. I don’t even want to be around him, as I consider him insane. I don’t have anyone who is anti gun really annoy me to the point I would consider blocking them. My sister is the most anti of any of them.
I’m probably to the “left” of most here, somewhere leeward of your friend. But my views on gun rights are informed by my views on social justice and egalitarian society, and are informed by them. I see no disconnect in mind, and I argue logically. The only emotveness I use is defiance to anyone who say that unless you have a government job and badge, you’re too slow & stupid to learn & retain skills and prone to suddenly going berzerk.
A brother blocked/unfriended me over this topic. I’d bury his and his friend’s’ intolerance with data and ethics about society and the statments we make by passing prbitive laws. “I won’t give up, I won’t accept that since we’re in a sick society we must all be treated as potentially dangerous criminaly insane 5-year old deviants”. Don’t give a sh!t what other countries have done and the statements they’ve made about each other by removing all dangeruos objects -“and BTW, your sources are sh!tfull and here are a few objective sources that say your conclusions are dead wrong”.
The fact that I paid careful atention to his ranting posts about the sick teapublican gun culture as if that’s all gun owners are, and wouldn’t allow mis/disinformation to go unchallenged was too much.
Another friend I haven’t seen in years; I like most of the stuff she posts, but I won’t keep silent about the crap from the Demading Moms which she shares, or that Al Sharpton isn’t the sort of “expert” we should listen to bout teh Martin/Zimmerman incident.
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