United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- One of the biggest problems we have as Second Amendment supporters is that the vast majority of national media outlets often work to distort the issues surrounding our right to keep and bear arms. They also look to put us in the worst possible light or to cheerlead for certain policies. That makes how Second Amendment supporters come across to their fellow Americans a very important matter. All too often, too many of them help the media smear us with comments that are intemperate at best (if not crossing legal lines).
These people don’t help defend the Second Amendment, they help Bloomberg’s efforts to take away our rights by serving as real-life examples of the very stereotypes Everytown and Moms Demand Action exploit to convince people our rights must be taken away.
We saw one instance with the Ask Amy advice column. While many of those who replied to her initial column that urged a father to put his hatred of guns and the Second Amendment above loving and supporting his daughter were polite, there were enough who sent the wrong type of responses to her that she doubled down on that advice and her hatred of our rights. She passed that hatred on to 22 million readers, about four times the total NRA membership.
It goes beyond being polite. We also need to show many Americans concerned or feeling fear for their loved ones in the wake of horrific shootings like El Paso, Parkland, Orlando, or Sandy Hook that we share their desire to stop them from happening. We need reasonable solutions that protect our rights to present to them in the aftermath of these events. According to Hannity.com, Chuck Schumer may be ready to give us an assist. We need to educate our fellow Americans about the facts surrounding our Second Amendment rights, including the history. We even need to reach out in ways we have not before.
If we fail at those tasks, they will exercise their First Amendment rights to take away our Second Amendment rights. Given that, what I am saying is not about “Negotiating Rights Away,” being a “Fudd,” or betraying the Second Amendment – it’s just some common sense. It’s dealing with the real world. If someone tells you that, you’re being misled.
The real work of defending the Second Amendment come on three fronts: Passing down the knowledge needed to defend our rights to future generations, encouraging effective activism by other Second Amendment supporters, and convincing the majority of our fellow Americans, particularly those in the suburbs or who may be indifferent or even slightly hostile to our rights, to change their views and not view a pro-Second Amendment voting record as a deal-breaker at the very least.
Shouting “Molon Labe” in response to anti-Second Amendment extremists and calling for the organization of militias is not the way to do that.
The hard reality is that such conduct feeds into the picture the media and Bloomberg want to paint, especially amongst the soccer moms who are already freaked out. They’ll happily go for Beto O’Rourke and his push for Australia-style laws. They’ll be with Pete Buttigieg and lap up his lie about “weapons of war” as he pushes to pack the Supreme Court.
What is going to do that? Getting facts straight. If you have good information, and can intelligently discuss the issues, that will help you bring friends, family, and neighbors. Build relationships with local media. This could be an opening to get the message out to counter what comes from national media. Relate various failures of gun control laws, not out of anger, but out of deep sadness and regret.
There is an old saying: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. This is still the case. We can get far more with polite words and patience than we will with angry rants and threats. There is no easy way to secure our rights, but some of the hard work is far preferable to other ways.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Another Day, another idiotic throw away article from Harold.. Harold, its not about the approach to defending the second amendment. It’s about principles and actually defending the second amendment. I understand this is something that is impossible for you to understand. You’re a coward and have spent so much time bending over to offer your backside to the left that you don’t know any other way to operate. You are a fudd because you don’t defend the second amendment as written, and you write this junk thinking you are going to convince those of us who do fight to defend… Read more »
Its time for some brave sharp attorney to step up and sue some anti-2A politician for breaking their oath to support and defend the Constitution. Let’s pursue it to the SCOTUS and see what happens! It is all about Constitutional Rights. Are you listening Adam?
When I read comments like this it makes me want to vote for a Democrat. This man is not suggesting you surrender your guns. He is suggesting that gun owners must appear sensible rather than rabid. Here’s a story to illustrate the point. A man is walking down the street. He is well dressed in casual clothing, wearing loafers with the little tassel and no socks. He has a little girl of about 6 holding his hand. He has no opinion on guns, the issue is just not on his radar. Approaching him is a man who is exercising his… Read more »
Make America 1950 Again!
(The culture, not the technology).
Problem solved!
Problem is the most of you don’t remember Pearl Harbor World War II or Korea and most definitely it’s obvious that most of you don’t remember the classroom DUCK AND TUCK DRILLS we had for the nuclear cold war-era.. The second amendment was never discussed because we already KNEW OUR RIGHTS and had our rifles and shotguns in the windows of our pickup trucks at the ready to defend our nation and its people. Since the evolution of the women’s equality, women’s rights movement and women’s liberation the nation has evolved to breed spineless pussies. There used to be MEN… Read more »
AHHHHH BULLSHIT! This namby-pamby crap NEVER works!
EVERY TIME this country has a problem they send in the Marines! That’s because they need men with guns that are ready to kill, NOT TALK!
When it comes to the Second Amendment and the citizen’s right to keep and bear arms the very same applies when it comes to that point there’s NO TIME TO TALK!
You people go ahead with all your long-winded diatribe about 2nd Amendment the Edition gun control that the bottom line is “YEW” will NEVER get our guns, EVER!
How can government control as in regulate and shall not be infringed go hand in hand? thats the same idiocy as referring to your self as a meat eating vegetarian! ..The bill of Rights protects us “from government”..Our founders intended regulate to mean..Adjust to a particular standard, Rate, Amount, Degree etc.! “well regulated”..The 1792 Militia act required every man between the ages 18-45 to be armed with the latest weapons available at the time..If somebody was violent and not killed on the spot, he was hunted down and hanged! The Dalton gang was stopped with real gun control, Every body… Read more »
JPFO.org
“There is an old saying: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. This is still the case.” Nope, you’re just using the wrong vinegar! https://getbusygardening.com/super-easy-fruit-fly-trap/ To quote from the article: “Fruit flies can’t resist the yummy vinegar, and that’s what attracts them to the trap (even when the trap is sitting next to a pile of bananas!).” I’m not arguing against your point. I’m also not arguing in favor of it. I’m just trying to make the point that trying to somehow validate your point with a ‘factual’ old wives tale that isn’t all that ‘factual’ (and never was)… Read more »
Harold sure has found his nitch. He can write a senseless article and piss a whole bunch of people off, which makes them comment about him and his writings. It may not be right but he smiles all the way to the bank. I find it hard to believe he really believes some of the things he writes.